


200X: Melody of the Variable

by StarmanSymphony



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Aliens, Canon-Typical Violence, Chimeras, Dreams, Flashbacks, Gen, Implied Time Travel, Laboratories, Let's Fix The Timeline! a mother fanfic, Light Language, Magicant, Midquel, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Canon, Trans Female Character, and boy are they cranky :/, i keep changing the tags help me, in chapter 21, nonbinary characters - Freeform, nothing graphic, the worst is crap and ass, the. the mother 3 kind., there's a lot of aliens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2019-11-19 10:20:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 85,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18134474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarmanSymphony/pseuds/StarmanSymphony
Summary: The year is 200X. All is devastation. Giygas conquered Earth and took it over, and then the Pigmasks came. Escape off Earth is near impossible. Everything is in the slow process of dying. And yet, the Apple of Enlightenment says this still be fixed.A human-turned-beetle, a rebel Pigmask, a nice old Wooly Shambler and a curious Blue Starman are the ones that decide to try and make what the Apple of Enlightenment says come true.There’s always a way out of the darkness. Even if things are bleak, there always is.(Chapters 1 - 15 were originally posted on Tumblr as they were finished.)





	1. A Weird Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We’re starting with waking up and something being very wrong!

Buzz groggily opened his eyes. He didn’t recognise this place. How did he even end up here?

It took him a few moments to remember what he last saw. Stars. Flashing stars, burning his eyes, his body… Now he remembered. He was in a Starman base, trying to help the prisoners in his Cell Hall escape. And they did… but not with him.

But now that he thought about it… why was everything around him so big?

He stood up, only for his legs to give out on him almost instantly. He looked down at them, expecting to see the deep red of his suit, or maybe his skin, but didn’t. His legs were thin, thinner than any normal pair of legs should be, and black. Dread grew inside of him. He looked down at his hands to see that they had become as thin as his legs, and had gone the same black as them too. Then he realised that those two arms weren’t the only ones he had. Another pair of arms rested on his waist, and were identical to the ones he had just examined. Something was _very_ wrong here.

He noticed the weight on his back. He didn’t really _want_ to know what it was, but looked over his shoulder regardless. And there, residing on his back, were a pair of transparent wings. They were round and incredibly bug-like. Humans did not have bug wings, nor did they have four arms. And whatever it was that was on his head he just noticed, humans didn't have _that,_  either.

The door in the room opened with a **click** , and Buzz looked up at it wide-eyed. A Starman walked in. A knot tied in Buzz’s stomach. Was this his punishment? Did they turn him into some weird, four-armed, bug-winged human as punishment?

The Starman looked over at Buzz. “Oh! You’re awake now! Uh, let me just…”

The Starman faded away with a flick of his hands and some sparkles, and in his place was a dark-skinned woman wearing a strange, light pink suit and black boots. The woman was short and quite chubby, and her hair had been shaved on both sides of her head, giving her a mohawk of sorts.

The woman came over and sat down nearby, and with a smile and a polite wave, she said, “Hi! My name’s Tori!” Her hands rested on the table that Buzz sat on, and she asked, “What’s yours?”

Buzz took a breath in as he tried to take in what was happening and put it aside.

“...Buzz. It’s Buzz,” Buzz told Tori.

Tori smiled a toothy grin. “Cool name! You pick it yourself?”

“Yeah, actually,” Buzz replied.

“Nice! I picked mine, too,” Tori told him.

A small smile appeared on Buzz’s face. Even though the rest of this situation was bizarre and frightening, he could at least take comfort in their similarity.

Buzz then looked around and asked, “So tell me, why is everything so big?”

“I found you unconscious outside near the Starman base, so I took you back to my current home,” Tori explained. “There was no way you were gonna live in the state you in, so I transfered your soul into a bug. A lot easier said than done, but I managed to do it.”

A sinking feeling washed over Buzz. Not only did he almost _die,_ he was a bug now. A literal bug. It explained the _everything_ new about him, but he would have been lying if he didn’t say he was scared out of his mind. He didn’t want to believe it.

A few moments passed before Tori frowned with concern and asked, “Buzz? You okay?”

“This can’t be happening,” he muttered to himself.

“Well, it is…” Tori said, glancing away. She looked back at Buzz and asked him, “You want me to get a mirror for you? I’m pretty sure I’ve got one around.”

Buzz simply nodded. Tori stood up and started looking around for a mirror. After a minute of searching through drawers and cupboards, she found one, and brought it over to Buzz.

The reflection showed a dusty brown bug with a four-pronged horn sitting on the table, fear and disbelief written all over his face. Just like him. He didn’t want to believe that was his reflection. He gingerly stood himself up, but fell over again. He instead crawled, legs and arms trembling, closer to the mirror. He put a hand to the mirror’s surface, and his reflection did the same. Buzz stared long and hard at his reflection. He couldn’t deny it, even if he wanted to. He was a bug now. He was really a bug now.

Tori watched him with concern. Buzz didn’t seem to be taking it too well, and it was probably a good idea to check if everything was alright with him.

“Uh… Buzz? You okay?” Tori asked.

Buzz blinked, snapping out of his thoughts, and looked away from the mirror and down at the table.

“Y-... Yeah.” He sat down, removing his hand from the mirror’s surface, and told her, “I just need to settle into…” He gestured at his body with a hand, “all this. I should be fine.”

Tori sighed and said, “That’s a relief! I was starting to get really worried for you. Thought you were gonna lose yourself there for a second!”

Buzz let out a fake laugh, then replied, “Well thank God I didn’t, huh?”

Another silence fell between them, but it was more comfortable this time around. Buzz glanced around the room, taking in the shelves, cupboards and drawers scattered in the room, and the various jars and old fish tanks sitting on and in them. Some had plantlife inside, others were completely empty. And one fish tank… Oh. _That_ answered where Tori found a new body for him.

Wanting to take his mind off this new discovery, Buzz looked back at Tori and asked, “So, uh… what’s with the get-up?”

Tori looked down at her clothes with an inquiring hum, then frowned as she groaned, “It’s my uniform. If I had it my way, I wouldn’t even be wearing this right now, but it’s the only thing I’ve got.”

Her face shifted to confusion as she then asked Buzz, “So how’d you get in such bad shape, anyway? Kinda weird how badly hurt you were…”

Buzz sighed and leaned back on his upper arms. “I tried freeing some other imprisoned humans in the Starman base you found me near. They managed to get away, but I ended up locking horns with a Final Starman.”

Tori covered her mouth with her gloved hands.

“Yeah. It didn’t go too well.”

“I didn’t even know those types of Starmen _existed!_ ” Tori exclaimed. “How powerful are they?”

“Very,” Buzz replied. “The most powerful in Giygas’ army.”

Tori just stared with wide eyes and her mouth agape. It took her a few moments to regain some of her composure and say, “Wow… That must have been horrible… I’m sorry.”

“Oh no, it’s okay,” Buzz reassured her. “I’m just glad those prisoners got out.”

Tori gave a quiet hum of agreement. Another silence fell between them. It made both of them uncomfortable, and Tori quickly broke it by saying, “So! I guess you wanna stay here for a little while? Just to get used to your new body and all?”

Buzz nodded, and told her, “Yes, that would be nice. Thank you.”

Tori stood up and clapped her hands together. “Great! And uh, one more thing…”

Buzz looked up her curiously.

“Can I call you Buzz Buzz?”

Buzz raised an eyebrow and asked, “Wh-..  Why?”

“It’s cuuuute!” Tori cooed.

Buzz sputtered. It was the most coherent response he could make. And if he could have in his current form, he would have been blushing out of sheer embarrassment.

“And it’s a good pun, too! Because if I remember right, when you fly you buzz! It’s perfect!”

Buzz just stared at her in a stunned silence. Tori gave him puppy eyes, and _really good ones too._

Buzz sighed. “Sure.”

Tori practically squealed, “Thank youuu~!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for a proper ref of tori please refer to [her toyhouse page](https://toyhou.se/3544555.tori) because i am _awful_ at describing physical appearances  
> also buzz buzz uses [this](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/earthbound/images/8/8d/Buzz_buzz.png/revision/latest?cb=20170522080710) design it's the closest thing we've got to a canon design and i just think its neat.


	2. Small Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one’s a little weird, because it’s like a filler chapter, but also not. Like nothing too important happens, but also there’s some stuff you need to know. It’s hard to explain please read it.
> 
> Also the best way I’ll ever describe anything ever is in it, that’s a bonus.

Somehow, overnight, the name Buzz Buzz stuck to Buzz’s mind like spaghetti on a wall that just got super glue all over it, and then the spaghetti got taped down with Flex Tape. In other words, he woke up, and drowsily greeted himself as Buzz Buzz.

_ ‘Well dang,’  _ he thought to himself, immediately after catching his mistake,  _ ‘I guess I’m just going by that no matter what now.’ _

He stretched his arms and legs out with a yawn. The table wasn’t comfiest place to sleep, but at least Tori gave him a blanket. A human-sized one, but that hardly mattered to him. He wriggled his out from under the blanket and gingerly stood himself up on his arms and legs. He stared at his extra arms for a moment before taking note of how his limbs felt. His arms felt fine, just like yesterday. His legs seemed much stronger now that he had gotten some rest. Cautiously, Buzz Buzz lifted one pair of arms off the table, then pushed himself up with the other. He wobbled for a moment, then found his center of gravity. Now on his legs, Buzz Buzz looked around the room briefly.

Tori wasn’t around. He assumed she was alright, and just outside doing something. She was outside when he woke up in his new body yesterday, so why would today be any different?

He didn’t have to wait very long for Tori to enter the room. She was carrying a potted plant in her hands, though the plant inside didn’t look in the best of shapes.

“Oh! You’re up!” Tori said as she set down the potted plant on a dresser top. “Good morning, Buzz Buzz!”

With a small wave, Buzz Buzz replied, “Good morning.”

Tori grabbed a plastic chair from the opposite end of the room and pulled it over to the dresser where she had set the potted plant, then sat down.

She glanced over at Buzz Buzz and asked him, “So how goes it?”

“I just woke up, but I’m feeling fine,” Buzz Buzz told her, rubbing the back of his head with his top-left hand. “I can actually stand up now, which is good news.”

“Very!” Tori agreed with a smile. “Did you have a good sleep?”

“Yes!” Buzz Buzz replied. “You?”

“Yeah, pretty good,” Tori said, returning her attention to the dying potted plant. “I’m trying to find a way to restore life in plants. My last attempts kinda worked - they lived for a short time before dying extra quickly. I’m hoping that this mixture will work better than the last.”

Tori reached into a pocket on her shorts and pulled out a test tube with a cork in it. Inside the test tube was a clear liquid. She pulled the cork out and set it down beside her, then poured the liquid onto the base of the potted plant.

“There,” she said, putting the cork back in the test tube, “now I just need to leave it out in the sun.”

She held the pot with both hands and placed it on a nearby window cill.

She turned to Buzz Buzz, who was watching ever so curiously, and told him, “It’s dangerous to leave the plants outside. You never know what’s gonna try and tear it apart.” She frowned and glared to the side as she added with a mumble, “I learnt that the hard way…”

She lightened up and looked back at Buzz Buzz and suggested, “Maybe you should try flying? Better than having to walk around everywhere.”

Buzz Buzz hadn’t even thought of that. He  _ had  _ seen the wings on his back yesterday, but never actually thought to try flying with them.

“Oh yeah! But one question - how do I do that?”

Tori shrugged.

Buzz Buzz sighed, though there was no annoyance in it. He figured it couldn’t be  _ too  _ much different than using PSI. But with muscles instead.

Buzz Buzz frowned slightly as he focused on his wings. His frown deepened as he tried to lift them up, but nothing was happening.

Tori watched on with a look of concern before telling him, “Maybe you’re trying too hard.”

Buzz Buzz managed to twitch his wings before heaving out a sigh.

“Weeell, it looks like you’re gonna have to work on that,” Tori stated. “But I’m sure you’ll get than hang of it in no time!”

Buzz Buzz smiled.

“I was wondering if I could heal up that plant with my PSI, too…” He pointed up at the potted plant sitting on the window cill.

Tori gave him a curious look.

“My PSI abilities are support based - Lifeup, Healing… Those kinds of things. I’m not sure if it will work, but I want to try cast Healing on that plant…” Buzz Buzz explained.

“You want me to carry you up there?” Tori asked.

“Yes please.”

Tori put a hand to the edge of the table which Buzz Buzz stood on, and Buzz Buzz hopped over and sat in it. Tori lifted her hand up to the window cill, and Buzz Buzz climbed out and onto the cill. He approached the potted plant, which was  _ a lot  _ bigger up close, almost overwhelmingly. He swallowed hard, then focused on flowing PSI energy to his hands. After a quick moment, Buzz Buzz put his hands to the pot. A few moments of complete silence went by.

“...Did you do it?” Tori asked, hushing her voice.

“...Nothing happened,” Buzz Buzz murmured.

“Maybe it just doesn’t work on plants,” Tori suggested.

“That’s very likely,” Buzz Buzz replied, releasing his hands from the pot and turning to face her. He looked down at his hands as he said, “Though I can’t help but wonder if something’s wrong.”

He looked back at Tori and said, “Quick, I need you to injure yourself a little.”

“Wh-What?! Why?”

“Just give yourself a papercut or something! Something that can easily heal! I need to try something!” Buzz Buzz told her, urgency filling his voice.

Glancing around, Tori replied, “Uhhh, okay, weird request but I’ll do it.”

She rummaged around for a spare piece of paper lying around, and soon found an old report on something. She pulled her left glove off and gave herself a cut on her finger with the paper, sharply inhaling as soon as she did. She went back over to the window cill that Buzz Buzz stood on and let him climb onto her gloved hand. She held her hands close and let Buzz Buzz do what he had in mind.

Buzz Buzz focused his PSI energy on his hands, then placed them on Tori’s papercut. They stayed there for a couple of seconds before Buzz Buzz’s face contorted with concern, and released his hands from the papercut.

“I… I was  _ supposed  _ to use Lifeup Alpha on that…” Buzz Buzz murmured, mostly to himself.

“And it didn’t work?” Tori asked.

Buzz Buzz looked back down at his hands and gazed at them for a few moments. His eyes had filled with fear.

“Can I do  _ anything? _ ”

He held his hands out, his eyebrows furrowed, and after a second, a yellow-tinted shield of light appeared around him. His eyebrows twisted with worry.

“Well I can do  _ that _ , at least,” Buzz Buzz mumbled to himself.

“Are you alright?” Tori asked.

Buzz Buzz sighed heavily. “I’ve lost most of my PSI abilities. All I can do now is make shields.”

“Oh…”

There was a brief silence before Buzz Buzz said to Tori, “Sorry about making you give yourself a papercut when I couldn’t heal it.”

“Oh, it’s alright!” Tori reassured him. “It’s just a papercut, nothing I can’t handle!”,

Tori placed Buzz Buzz back on the table, then sat back down on the chair she had pulled up by the dresser.

“So, uh, PSI,” she said. “You mentioned it several times. I’m not exactly sure what it is…?”

Buzz Buzz’s eyes widened. “I should have thought about that! I’m so sorry.”

“Oh no, it’s alright!” Tori replied with a lopsided smile. “I kinda got what you were talking about through context anyway. I just wanted to know what it was.”

“Oh.” Buzz Buzz cleared his throat, then explained, “PSI is an ability sometimes found in humans that gives them supernatural powers. These can range from healing capabilities to creating fire at will.”

“OHHHHHH! I knew what it was this whole time, just not the NAME!” Tori let out a short laugh, then explained, “I recently discovered I had some of that PSI stuff and I’ve kinda been practicing it when I can… I guess that weird illusion-making thing I can do to myself would also be PSI?”

Buzz Buzz cocked his head.

“Like when I came in as a Starman yesterday and accidentally scared the crap out of you,” Tori elaborated.

“I suppose it would. There’s a lot of different PSI techniques, and it manifests in many different ways,” Buzz Buzz said.

“Awesome!” She held her hands close then said, “I can also doooo this.”

The room was still for just a moment, before a small flame burst to life in between her hands. Buzz Buzz’s eyes grew wide as he watched the flame flicker and dance before it died out.

“You know PK Fire?” Buzz Buzz gasped.

“Uhh, yeah. I can also make lightning, but it misses a lot,” Tori explained.

“Don’t worry, PK Thunder does that often, especially with fewer targets,” Buzz Buzz told her.

Tori nodded, then added, “I don’t get a lot of time to practice my PSI, ‘cause of work and stuff…”

Tori’s face lit up with recollection. “That’s right! I’ve gotta go to some other continent for work. Apparently I’ll be getting my orders when I get there.”

Tori looked up at the potted plant and lamented, “It’ll be a shame to say goodbye to this place…. I’ve grown really attached to it.”

There was a brief silence before Buzz Buzz asked, “So when do you leave for the other continent?”

“In a couple of weeks,” Tori replied. “That should give you some time to practice flying while I’m around!”

Buzz Buzz’s eyebrows furrowed. “You say that like I’m going to stay here… Can’t I come with you?”

Tori’s eyes widened with shock.

“...I… Actually, yeah! It’d be nice to have some company.”

Buzz Buzz let out a squeak of delight, punching a fist into the air.


	3. Stormin the Laboratory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tori and Buzz Buzz say goodbye to a nice house and start their journey! There's also guy who named himself after a food...?

Two weeks passed by, and in that time, Buzz Buzz had learned to fly fairly well. The potted plant healed a little, but didn’t become fully rejuvenated. It was a start, though. It was just too bad they had to leave before they could improve the mixture any further.

Tori stood outside the old house she had called home for a short while, Buzz Buzz hovering beside her.

“Well, this is goodbye,” Tori said. “I’m gonna miss you, house.”

Tori waved to the house, who, of course, didn’t respond, then turned away and started walking. Buzz Buzz followed beside her, buzzing as he went. He very much lived up to his name now.

The house that Tori and Buzz Buzz had been staying in was on the outskirts of a town named Stormin. The town had been long since abandoned by most of its residents, but there were a few who couldn’t afford to flee or were too attached to the town. Strangely, the town’s shops were kept in stock, but if you entered the town, you might have been able to see why.

It was being controlled by Starmen.

Behind a house just on the edge of the town itself, Tori whispered to Buzz Buzz, “See, _that’s_ why I came in as a Starman that one time. If they see me in my uniform, I’m dead.”

Buzz Buzz peered past the house from the perch of Tori’s shoulder. They weren’t in the town yet and already he could see a Starman patrolling the streets. He wondered how many more there were.

Tori held up her hands, and sparkles surrounded then as her image was slowly replaced with a Starman’s. Buzz Buzz had to admit, it was a very good illusion.

“Come on, let’s go,” Tori whispered to him.

Tori put her hands on her hips and walked into the city. The Starman that Buzz Buzz saw earlier gave Tori a firm nod, completely falling for her illusion. Tori returned the nod as she walked by.

Deeper in the town, more Starmen roamed the streets. All the buildings had been abandoned, and were in disarray. Broken windows, chipped walls… Some even had collapsed. Not a single human soul was seen.

A dark figure quickly ducking into an alleyway caught the edge of Buzz Buzz’s eye. The alley was nestled beside an old supermarket, which clearly had been abandoned.

He tapped Tori’s shoulder and whispered, “Tori.”

Tori looked down at him with a soft inquiring hum.

“I saw someone go into that alleyway, you think we should check it out?” he asked in a hushed tone.

“Are you kidding? If we do we’re gonna be late, and I do _not_ want to be late,” Tori hissed back.

A voice that undoubtedly belonged to a Starman broke them away from their conversation. “Soldier!”

Tori looked over to see a Starman Super looking her way, and quickly faced him in the Starmen’s default position.

“One of those humans went down that alleyway,” the Starman Super told her, pointing at the exact alleyway Buzz Buzz had seconds earlier, “I want you to go investigate. And don’t slack about!”

With a salute, Tori responded, “Yes, sir!” She then quickly made her way to the alleyway.

Once she had reached the alleyway’s mouth, she whispered to Buzz Buzz, “I think I might have done the salute a bit wonky… You think he noticed?”

With a shake of his head, Buzz Buzz replied, “Not at all. If you ask me, you did it very well.”

Tori smiled a little, though it wasn’t noticeable behind her Starman illusion, and she continued walking down into the alleyway.

The alleyway quickly became dark, and it seemed to be a dead end. As Tori stepped on a manhole cover, a **bump** from underneath was heard.

Not thinking, Tori immediately asked, “Are you okay?”

A groan could faintly be heard from under the manhole cover, and then a reply: “Yup, I’m fine.” There was a pause before the voice spoke up again and questioned, “What’s the password?!”

“The password?” Tori echoed. “Uh… I don’t know anything about a password!”

“That’s not the password,” the voice grumbled.

“Is it cheese sandwich?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“Nope.”

“Cheese?” Tori suggested.

“Nope!”

“Sunflower seeds?” Buzz Buzz tried.

“What? Why would it be sunflower seeds, no.”

“Uh… Being friends?” Tori was really running out of ideas.

“What the hell? No.”

“Uhh…”

After a few moments, Tori shrugged and said, “I give up.”

“That’s exactly it, come on in!”

Tori and Buzz Buzz exchanged surprised glances as the manhole was moved to the side. A man with thinning brown hair and a dirty face greeted them, but only for .5 of a second before he started screaming.

Tori slapped a hand to her forehead as she said to herself, “Aw, crap, nonononono!”

Buzz Buzz darted off her shoulder and up to the screaming man, and told him, “No, it’s okay! She’s no-”

The man screamed louder, then yelled, “OH MY GOD IT’S A TALKING FLY.”

“Please, would you listen, this is VERY important-” Buzz Buzz was cut off by the man screaming again. As he did, Buzz Buzz added, “Also I’m not a fly.”

Tori flicked her hands, and with some sparkles, her Starman illusion faded away. This got the man to stop screaming, at least - now he was looking at her with bewilderment.

Tori sighed, then explained to the man, “I just made myself look like a Starman so I wouldn’t be killed on sight by the _real_ Starmen. I’m not here to, like, kill you or steal all of your food or whatever it is the Starmen do around here.”

“And any Starmen nearby will probably be coming over soon… You made quite the racket,” Buzz Buzz added.

“Right, right,” the man muttered. “Follow me.”

The man climbed down a ladder, and Tori followed. Buzz Buzz darted in behind her, and the man slid the manhole cover back over.

The man bent over and picked up an old lamp, then felt for the switch and turned it on, lighting the area they were now in. Unsurprisingly, it was a sewer. The water was a sickly green, and it barely shifted. It was more like sludge than water with all the junk in it. The man was indifferent to the sight.

Now that they were with him, they could get a better look at his appearance. He wore a black, hooded cloak, which came down past his knees. Underneath he wore a green shirt and a pair of worn pants. He had bags under his eyes, as well, and he was quite thin and a fair bit taller than Tori.

Buzz Buzz and Tori followed the man to a better-lit room, where several other humans lounged about. There was a busted power generator on the back wall, and an old wooden table had been dragged in. Two men sat at it in wooden chairs while they played cards, and a three others sat on the worn-down couch. There were two children as well - one sat on the floor with a teddy bear and the other was asleep on a woman’s lap. The walls of the room had peeling white paint, and there was no carpet underfoot, just the cold concrete. Several sleeping bags were laid around somewhat carelessly, though it looked like someone had tried to rearrange them and make them at least a little orderly.

“I’m back,” the man nonchalantly announced to those gathered in the room, “and I’ve got a couple of guests with me.”

The man turned off the lamp and set it down on the table as he walked in, then sat on an old chair with a sigh of relief.

“Uh, Christoph?” the woman with the child sleeping on her lap asked, pointing at Tori, who still stood in the doorway, “You said we had guests _plural._ Where’s the other one?”

“He’s a bug o’ some kind. Just not a fly,” the man who had led them to the room, Christoph, replied.

“A… bug. Did you say,” one of the men playing cards, who had black hair, asked, raising an eyebrow at Christoph.

“Eyup.”

The man squinted at him skeptically for a moment before returning to playing cards.

Christoph glared at Tori and Buzz Buzz for a few moments as the room was silent before asking, “Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna come in.”

Tori blinked, then said, “Oh, sorry. I was just looking around… these are really your quarters? And they’re this small?”

“It’s the only thing we’ve got,” Christoph told her, then said, “Now quit standing there like a possum in headlights.”

Tori shuffled inside of the reworked generator room, and Buzz Buzz buzzed in with her.

“You never told us their names,” a blond woman on the couch said to Christoph.

“Couldn’t be bothered asking,” Christoph grumbled.

“Oh! I’m Tori, and my friend’s name is Buzz Buzz. Nice to meet you!” Tori told the woman. Buzz Buzz waved to her, but he was unsure if she saw due to how small he was now.

“Right, I should probably introduce you to everyone else here.” Christoph pointed at the men at the table and said, “Black-haired one’s Vandall, brown-haired one’s Ethan. Vandall, Ethan, say hi.”

Vandall and Ethan looked up at Tori and Buzz Buzz and gave short waves before returning to their card game.

Christoph pointed at the adults on the couch and continued, “Left to right, Ken, Liz and Melanie.”

Ken, a short man with light brown hair, nodded at them, while Liz, the blond woman, waved. Melanie, the woman with the child sleeping on her lap, gave them a thumbs up.

“The kid on Melanie’s knee is Ralph,” Christoph added. He then pointed at the child with the teddy bear and said, “That’s-”

“Emmie!” the child with the teddy bear nearly shouted. Despite their loudness, they didn’t wake up Ralph.

“...Yeah,” Christoph simply replied.

“Can Buzz Buzz talk?” Emmie asked, looking up at Buzz Buzz and Tori.

“I _can_ talk!” Buzz Buzz told them.

“Woaaaah! That’s so cool!” Emmie awed.

Christoph then told Tori and Buzz Buzz, “Taco said he went out for some more water, but it looks like he’s not back yet. You’ll know him when you see him; Taco’s weird.”

Tori and Buzz Buzz stood in a confused silence before Buzz Buzz asked, “...Taco? That’s an odd choice for a name.”

“Yeah, ‘parently he has to for some reason. He said it was either that or Kragle,” Christoph said.

Tori and Buzz Buzz exchanged equally confused glances. Whatever the heck “Kragle” was supposed to be or mean, neither of them knew.

“Anyway, uh, welcome,” Christoph said, spreading out his arms unceremoniously for a few moments.

Tori looked around the floor for a second before sitting herself down on it. Buzz Buzz sat on her shoulder a moment later.

“So… what’s up with you guys?” Tori asked. “I mean, what’s you current situation? Why are you down here?”

“Currently, we’re hiding from the Starmen,” Liz told her. “They’ve almost taken away everything we had in town and they’re gonna destroy our homes soon, we’re pretty sure. We’ve come together and made a little home of sorts down here, and every once in a while one of us will go up to get supplies. Usually Christoph.”

Liz paused, then a sigh escaped her lips. “We’re not sure how much longer we’re gonna last.”

Vandall looked up from his cards and added, “There _is_ this one place that could sustain us for years, but it’d be pretty damn hard to get the people with it to let us use it…”

Buzz Buzz hummed inquisitively, then asked, “Where about?”

“Uhh, just north of here,” Vandall said, waving a hand in the vague direction of the aforementioned place.

“It’s in the Stormin Foods Research Labs,” Ethan told them. “They apparently have a machine that clones food. If we could use that, we wouldn’t have to worry too much about feeding ourselves.”

Buzz Buzz and Tori exchanged glances.

“Yeah?” Tori asked him.

“Yeah,” Buzz Buzz replied.

Tori and Buzz Buzz looked back up at the room, and Tori told them, “We’re gonna get you that food cloning thing.”

The adults expressed their shock with wide eyes and hanging mouths.

“You can’t possibly be serious!” Melanie said.

“I am very serious about this,” Tori said to her.

“But how?” Emmie asked.

Tori inhaled as she thought for a moment, then replied, “I’m not sure. But we’re gonna do it! Right Buzz Buzz?”

“Yeah!” Buzz Buzz cheered, punching a fist into the air.

“When?” Ken asked.

Tori stood and replied, “Now.”

Christoph got up from his chair and grabbed the lamp. “I’ll lead you back out, then.”

* * *

 After Tori had climbed out of the sewer and Buzz Buzz followed, Christoph told them, “Once you’re out of the alleyway go right after the supermarket, then go straight ahead until you’re out of town. It shouldn’t be too hard to miss the place. Good luck.”

With that, the manhole cover slid over the manhole.

Sparkles appeared on Tori’s held up hands, and the form of a Starman appeared over her. She strode out of the alleyway with Buzz Buzz on her shoulder.

The Starman Super from before approached Tori and asked, “So what was down there, soldier?I heard some screaming.”

“Nothing, sir,” Tori told the Starman Super. “I just had to deal with a human - it wasn’t too hard to stop.”

The Starman Super looked impressed by Tori’s completely made-up feat, and told her, “Well done. Continue patrolling for any rogue humans.”

Once Tori was sure the Starman Super wasn’t near, she started speed walking past the supermarket. Just as Christoph said, she took a right once she passed it, then continued walking down the old road. Within ten minutes, she had reached the Stormin Food Research Lab.

“I thought food researchers looked into what was in the food, not how to clone it,” Buzz Buzz said.

“Eh, maybe these guys are just off the wire,” Tori replied.

With a flick of her hands, sparkles appeared around her and her Starman illusion disappeared. She went up to the door and tried to open it, only to find it was locked.

“Damn,” she hissed.

“Looks like we’ll have to find another way in,” Buzz Buzz said. “Climbing through a window is the first that comes to mind.”

As Tori started walking down the right side of the laboratory, she said to Buzz Buzz, “You don’t even _need_ to climb! You can just fly in!”

“I…” Buzz Buzz thought for a moment before finishing, “mostly meant that as an option for _you._ Also I’m still not quite used to the whole being a bug thing.”

Funnily enough, there was an open window right near the end of the lab. Unfortunately, there was nothing to help Tori climb up there.

As Tori rubbed her temples, Buzz Buzz buzzed off her shoulder and darted inside. The room the window was in was rather empty, and appeared to be a storage room of sorts. There appeared to be many crates in the room, as well as several red buttons lining the wall the window was on. Buzz Buzz frowned at the buttons on the wall for a second, before hesitantly pressing one. Nothing happened. He pressed another, and something shifted in the distance. The third one he pressed made something shift, but much closer.

A yell from Tori came from the other side of the wall: “I dunno what you did but it made these huge stairs up to the window!”

How convenient.

Tori climbed up the stairs then squeezed herself through the window. She landed on the floor back-first with a **thud** , causing Buzz Buzz to grow concerned as he watched, sharply inhaling.

“Are you okay?” he asked, buzzing over to Tori.

Tori pushed herself up and made a strange noise of mild distress, then turned her head to Buzz Buzz and said, “I’ll be fine. Nothing I can’t handle.”

Tori flicked her hands, and sparkles surrounded her as her Starman illusion faded away. He gingerly stood herself up, then said, “Right. Let's go find this food cloning thing.”

The halls were better lit, showing Tori and Buzz Buzz the metallic floors and chrome white walls. It was impossible to tell where to go, so they wandered the halls for a bit, hoping to find anything that looked like a food cloning machine. The halls were completely empty, and Buzz Buzz was starting to wonder if anyone was actually inside, apart from them.

They had been wandering around the lab for at least ten minutes when they found a strangely dressed person in a room they had poked their heads into. The person wore a deep red trench coat and a black fedora, clearly not a scientific uniform of any kind. They were looking at something in front of them, which appeared to be on a table of sorts, though it was impossible to tell what it was.

“Hm? Is someone there?” the person asked not too long after Tori and Buzz Buzz had peeked inside.

The person turned around to reveal their face, which was covered by a pair of tacky, pastel pink-framed sunglasses that didn’t fit with the rest of their outfit at all. Their long, pointy nose curved downward, and almost reached over their top lip.

“So you must be the duo who visited our base in town!” the person remarked.

“Uh- How did you…” Tori trailed off, unable to finish her own sentence, she was so puzzled.

“Ah! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Taco,” the person, Taco said, bowing a little. “I’m sure Christoph told you about me - in fact, I know so.”

Tori raised an eyebrow. “I still don’t know how you-”

“Premonition, darling!” Taco told her. “Now, what are your names?”

“Uh, well, I’m Tori, and my friend is Buzz Buzz,” Tori told Taco. Buzz Buzz waved, but again, he was unsure if who he was waving at could even tell he was waving.

“I see! Aren’t you two just charming?”

Tori glanced to the side awkwardly, and Buzz Buzz rubbed the back of his head.

Taco cleared his throat, showing a lavender gloved hand for a moment, then told them, “Now to business. I originally came out to get some water, but I sensed something strange about this lab, so I broke in. The lab seems to be completely empty, and I’ve managed to get some good intel. You want to hear it?”

Tori opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped by Taco raising a hand.

“Don’t answer, I already know you want to.”

Tori closed her mouth and let Taco share what he knew.

“The FCT is complete and fully functional with no major glitches - however, it’s under heavy security. All the staff have left the premise for not properly stated reasons - they may return sometime, so we need to be careful,” Taco explained.

Tori nodded, and there was a moment before Buzz Buzz asked, “What does FCT stand for?”

“Food Cloning Thing,” Taco replied.

Tori and Buzz Buzz were silent for a moment before they glanced at each other. Tori mumbled to him, “I was right this whole time.”

Taco strode toward the door as he said, “Well, we haven’t a moment to waste! Come along, dears!”

Taco exited the room, and after a brief moment of wide eyed watching, Buzz Buzz and Tori followed.

Taco was even taller than Christoph - he towered over Tori. He must have been wearing boots, too, because with every step he took, a **tap** accompanied it. It wasn’t too far to the room where the FCT was stored. The clunky-looking machine sat smack-dab in the middle of its room on a pedestal, just waiting to be used.

As Tori, Buzz Buzz and Taco peered past the door, Taco told them, “Now, it looks easy to get the FCT, but looks can be deceiving. There’s definitely some kind of trick here.”

Taco pulled a gun out from the inside of his trench coat, and pulled the trigger. Instead of a bullet, a scanner came out, and it checked out the entire room. A message popped up on a tiny screen at the top of the gun’s handle, and Taco frowned.

“Not even lasers? Odd…”

“Maybe they have better security measures than that,” Tori suggested, a look of fear on her face. “I can certainly _think_ of something better.”

“Hmm, you may be right, darling,” Taco mused, placing a hand to his chin. He then exclaimed whole shrugging, “Well, there’s only one way to find out!”

He strutted into the room, his hands reaching into unseen pockets. He pulled a pistol out of one and held it up. Taco stopped a few steps away from the FCT, and that was when Tori decided to jog up to his side, Buzz Buzz following.

Taco sniffed, then challenged, “I know someone’s there! Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

And come out is certainly what they did. From the shadow of the FCT’s pedestal, a humanoid figure emerged. The form gained detail as it grew, revealing itself to be at least part human.

Taco’s eyes narrowed. “Ah, there you are. Make this quick, please.”

The figure spoke, their voice wobbling like a iron sheet being flapped about. “You dare take the Food Cloning Thing…? Why, I’ll smack your guts out. And they’ll go to hell.”

“Eugh,” Taco remarked, his features scrunching at the mental image.

“I will make this as quick as you desire!” the figure exclaimed, stretching itself up over the FCT.

Taco stepped out of the way, almost making Tori stumble over. The figure growled, then swiped at Taco, who just stuck his leg up, then Taco shot at the figure. The bullet passed right through them, and they were completely unharmed. This caught Taco off guard, and the figure swiped at his face. The pain was enough to send Taco reeling, and he hissed in pain as he held a hand to his cheek.

Buzz Buzz did one of the only things he could, make a shield to protect all of his allies and himself, and watch Tori make her move.

Sparks danced at Tori’s fingertips, which soon became flames. She pointed at the figure, and flames shot at them, engulfing them in the fire of PK Fire. The figure screamed and tried to swat the flames burning them away.

“Incredible,” Taco breathed. “So it looks like it can only be hurt with PSI…” Taco lowered his hand from his cheek and muttered to himself, “Well, I didn’t _want_ to use this, but if I must.”

Taco put away his pistol, then held his hands together, facing out at the figure, and a blob of energy built up in front of his palms. The energy transformed into a beam which shot straight at the figure, who screamed in pain.

Buzz Buzz turned toward Taco and exclaimed, “You know PK Beam?”

“Only the Alpha level, dear,” Taco explained, “but it’s enough for me. I prefer physical weaponry myself.”

The figure stretched up and landed on Tori, pushing her to the ground and harming her. Tori retaliated with more PK Fire, uppercutting them. The figure landed on their back as they writhed in pain. Different kinds of sparks danced at Tori’s fingertips, and a single bolt of PK Thunder came down from almost nowhere - miraculously, it hit the figure like Tori intended. Taco fired another PK Beam at the figure, who screamed, then melted back into the shadows.

“Well that takes care of that,” Taco muttered. He strode up to the FCT, and as his hands grasped the outside, he said, “Now, let’s get this thing back to our ba-”

A new voice cut in. “Uh uh uh!”

A short man wearing a white lab coat walked up to the FCT’s pedestal, glaring up at Taco.

“Just what do you think you’re doing, weirdo? And how did you get past our security?” he asked Taco.

“I’m taking something that will be of _use_ \- because unlike you, I’ll actually use it.”

“Also we kicked this weird shadow guy’s ass - was that the security?” Tori chipped in.

The man turned his head to Tori and told her, “ _Yes,_ the “weird shadow guy” was the security.” He then returned his attention to Taco and lectured him, “The FCT is not to just be used willy-nilly! It must only be used in times of crisis!”

“Are you _kidding?!_ ” Tori exclaimed. “When was the last time you went outside, 199X? This _is_ a time of crisis, numbskull!”

“If Taco doesn’t bring the FCT to his base, everyone there will go hungry!” Buzz Buzz added with a frown. “Can you not find it in yourself to give up this one thing for the sake of many other lives?”

The short man was silent for a moment, biting his lip, before asking, “Are you a talking bug.”

Buzz Buzz slapped his forehead with his top left hand. “ **_Yes,_ ** I’m a talking bug. That’s not relevant, though.”

The man then furrowed his brow in thought and placed a finger to his chin. He then looked up at Taco and asked, “You _will_ be using it for more than just yourself?”

“Of course, darling,” Taco replied.

The man let out a hesitant sigh. “Then I guess you can have it.”

Tori let out a cheer and punched the air. “Alright! Let’s get that thing back to your home base!”

Now with the FCT in hand, Taco led Tori and Buzz out of the Stormin Food Research Lab. Taco took them down the hidden path he had found, which was longer than the route that Tori and Buzz Buzz had taken on the way to the lab, but safer.

“Say, Taco,” Tori said, looking up at Taco, “Christoph said you had to go by Taco. Why’s that?”

Taco gave Tori a smile, then leaned into her ear and whispered, “I’m on the run from the authorities.”

Tori’s eyes went wide, and so did Buzz Buzz’s, as he heard too.

“But I thought the authorities were dead!” Tori exclaimed.

“Unless you mean the Starmen?” Buzz Buzz inquired from his perch on Tori’s shoulder.

“Yes, the Starman are after my blood too, but not them,” Taco told them. “I have charges for things beyond the three dimensions held against me. I just so happened to get myself stuck in this awful world, and then...” He paused before asking, “...You’re going to keep this a secret, aren’t you, darlings?”

Both Buzz Buzz and Tori nodded frantically.

“Good, good.” Taco looked up as he entered Stormin and said, “We’re almost there. Look lively, now!”

* * *

 “We’re baaaack~!” Taco sang as he entered the old generator room, getting everyone gathered to look up at him.

“And,” Taco slammed the FCT onto the table, “look what I brought.”

Most of the adults gasped.

“That’s the food cloner from the food research lab, right?” Ken asked.

“It sure is!” Taco replied. “But really, I couldn’t have done it without these two.” He gestured to Tori and Buzz Buzz. Tori waved.

“I had a feeling there was something more to you, Tori,” Christoph commented, making a wide, sheepish smile appear on her face. He looked over at Taco and asked him, “You _did_ bring the water too, right?”

“I’ll… get that soon,” was all Taco had to say on the subject.

Christoph pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked back at Tori and Buzz Buzz.

“Well, thanks for all of your help. I dunno what we’d do without you.”

“It’s quite alright,” Buzz Buzz replied. “I’m just glad to see you with what you need.”

Tori nodded.

“Taco, could you lead them out of here?” Christoph asked Taco, looking up at him.

“Why not you?” Taco replied, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I’m pretty comfy in this chair, actually.”

Taco sighed, then turned to Tori and Buzz Buzz. “Come on, dears, let’s get you out of here.”

Tori and Buzz Buzz waved goodbye to everyone in the old generator room as they left, then to Taco as they climbed out of the sewer.

“So where to from here?” Buzz Buzz asked Tori as she put on her Starman illusion.

“Coastcrash Docks.”


	4. The Ferry and the Kraken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: The working title for this one was just “WE’RE ON A BOAT”. Why? Because they are.

“COME ON BUZZ BUZZ WE’RE GONNA BE LAAAAAAATE!!”

The seaside town of Coastcrash had been long been abandoned just like Stormin, but the ferries were being kept running by the last few people alive in the town. There wasn’t a Starman to be seen, either, so Buzz Buzz came to the conclusion that the Starmen may have already visited the town, ravaged it, and kept a select few alive to keep the ferries running.

Tori skidded to a halt on the dock, where a ferry marked with a pig’s nose over a Starman emblem was anchored.

“Uh… Hello, ma’am,” the ticket taker greeted, an eyebrow raised at her. “Do you have a ticket…?”

Tori fished through one of her pocket and pulled out a ticket - it was a golden colour, but had no shine to it. She handed it to the ticket taker, who punched a hole in the ticket and handed it back to her.

“You better hurry on board, the ship’s just about to leave.”

Tori nodded, then speed walked on board. The interior was quite neat, given the state that the town it was docked at was in. The back wall had tall windows that provided a scenic view of the devastated town and the dreary sky outside; definitely, 100% something everyone wanted to see. Buzz Buzz figured the boat was made before Giygas’ invasion. There was a brown rug laid out near the bar and the floor itself was covered with light pink carpet. Many people on board were drinking from wine glasses and enjoying themselves.

“There’s something about the way that these people are having such a good time that feels… off,” Buzz Buzz commented, eyeing the group over at the bar.

“I think you’re just worrying a teeny bit too much,” Tori replied with a shrug. “Whatever happened to get you pitted up against a Final Starman must have took a toll on you. Try to relax a little bit.”

With a sigh, Buzz Buzz landed on Tori’s shoulder.

As Tori walked around the ferry’s first floor, Buzz Buzz asked her, “So where is this boat going, exactly?”

“Someplace in Winters, I’m pretty sure,” Tori replied. “Like I said a couple weeks ago, I’ll be getting my orders when we get there.”

Tori approached a help desk, leaned her arms on it and asked the clerk, “Excuse me, I don’t suppose you know where I’d get the key to my room?”

“Right here, uh…” the clerk trailed off, then asked, “Which room?”

“Uhh…” Tori glanced at her ticket, then replied, “Room 12.”

The clerk opened a drawer and got the corresponding key, then handed it to Tori. “Have a nice day.”

Tori waved goodbye to the clerk as she walked away. Tori entered a living room, which was much quieter, though still had a couple of people inside watching the TV.

“I _told_ you we were going to be late if we went down that alleyway, too,” Tori whispered to Buzz Buzz.

“Hey, that Starman Super wanted us to investigate it as well, there was really no other choice in our situation,” Buzz Buzz argued. “And besides, we helped a lot of people out in the end.”

“Yeahhhh, you’re right.”

One of the men in the room looked at Tori with a raised eyebrow silently for a few moments, before asking, “Who are you talking to?”

“Huh? OH! I was talking to myself!” Tori told the man. “I… do that.”

The man nodded a little before looking back at the TV. Tori let out a quiet sigh of relief. She then snuck around the back of the chairs, not wanting to block the TV, then entered the next room. This one led to a a flight of stairs, which Tori climbed up. She took out her ticket and looked at it after she arrived in the hall the stairs led to. Said hall was line with doors - it must have been where all the bedrooms where.

“Room 12…” Tori muttered to herself. “I hope it's one of these ones.”

She walked down the hall, checking the numbers of each door, until she found Room 12. She then unlocked the door and went inside, closing the door behind her.

She flopped onto her bed, heaving a sigh of relief. Buzz Buzz had darted off her shoulder and landed on the bedside table, which had a lamp sitting atop it. Between the bed and the table was a square window.

“I am SO glad to have a good bed for once,” Tori said. “The last time I did was like… before I joined the army, I think?”

Buzz Buzz cocked his head as he gave an inquiring hum.

“Yeah… that was a while ago… It’s felt like _years!_ ” Tori continued. “I mean, it has, really, but…”

“If you don’t mind me butting in, could you explain what you mean?” Buzz Buzz asked. “I’m a bit lost.”

“OH! Of course!” Tori replied. “The army I joined has members from a whole bunch of different points in time, and from all sorts of different timelines. A lot of us came from before the time where our leader is located, but some are from even further…”

Tori shut her eyes and continued, “But for some reason, our leader is _insistent_ on us heading to this time. What does he have against this time, anyway?”

Tori paused before adding, “We’ve been assigned a lot of missions involving Starmen, actually, now that I think about it. Most of them have been pitting us against them… What does the king have against Starmen?”

The king? Tori’s leader must have been one self-absorbed person if he was calling himself a _king._ And he shared Tori’s confusion as to why this “king” hated Starmen so much.

The ferry began to lurch forward, startling both Buzz Buzz and Tori, but they soon got themselves together.

The two sat in peace for a while before Tori rolled onto her side to face Buzz Buzz, and asked, “What was it like being stuck in the Starman base back in Stormin? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

Buzz Buzz exhaled hesitantly, and was silent for a moment or two before mumbling, “...Not… fun.”

Tori nodded understandingly, then told Buzz Buzz, “Can’t imagine it’d be.”

Tori flopped back onto her back. Both she and Buzz Buzz sat in a peaceful silence for a while, listening to the faint sound of the waves. The peace was broken by Tori sitting up in a flash.

“I forgot my mask.”

Buzz Buzz let out a “huh?” as he looked at Tori’s troubled face.

“This isn’t even my full uniform, there’s a mask that goes with it!” Tori explained, panic rising in her voice, as she gestured to her uniform. “If I get off this boat without it, I’m gonna get chewed out _real_ bad!”

“Where did you leave it?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“Back in Stormin!”

Buzz Buzz sharply inhaled.

Tori hopped off her bed and stood up. “We’re just gonna have to find another one.”

As she headed to the door, she called out, “C’mon, Buzz Buzz! Let’s go!”

Buzz Buzz darted after her and landed on her shoulder. Tori dashed down the hall, down the stairs, squeezed behind the chairs in the living again, then dashed over to the help desk.

Tori smacked her hands on the table and asked the clerk, “Hi, me again, don’t suppose you have a list of who’s on board right now?”

“Uhh, yes.” The clerk bent down and grabbed a tablet, tapped it a couple of times, then handed it to Tori.

The tablet displayed a list of everyone on board and their rooms, just what Tori had asked for. She tapped on one name, and it showed her more information on the person. Buzz Buzz wondered why the ferry even _had_ such information, but tried not to think about it too much. Tori checked every name until she stumbled upon a certain piece of info - a note was added at the bottom of the page that read: “Member of the Pigmask Army.”

“Room 11? He was _that_ close the entire time?!” Tori handed the tablet back to the clerk and ran off again, calling to them, “Thaaaaanks!”

Tori then returned to the hall where her room was as quick as possible, and this time knocked on Room 11’s door. What Buzz Buzz assumed to be a Pigmask opened the door, and despite his eyes not being visible, he glared daggers at Tori.

“What,” the Pigmask spat. His voice was gruff and deep, undeniably masculine.

“Hi! I’ve misplaced my mask, and I don’t have anyway to get it, so I was wondering if you had any spares? And if you do, can I borrow one please?”

The Pigmask squinted at Tori for a moment before slamming the door behind him. There was silence for what seemed like forever before the Pigmask returned.

“No,” he told her. “We don’t just _have spares._ You should know that. I’d wish you luck with the lecture you’re gonna get, but,” he tisked before finishing, “you deserve it.”

The door slammed shut again. There was a brief silence between Tori and Buzz Buzz before the latter asked, “Are most of them like that?”

“Well they’re not rare,” Tori uttered.

She went back into her own room and flopped face first onto her bed, and Buzz Buzz flew off her shoulder and onto the bedside table.

“Well, guess I’ll get lectured,” Tori mumbled, her voice muffled by the pillow.

“It can’t be that bad, can it?” Buzz Buzz questioned, though there was only concern in his voice.

Tori raised her head and muttered, “You’re right. It won’t be coming from Fassad.” Tori flung her face into her pillow again.

“Fassad? Who’s that?” Buzz Buzz asked.

Tori flopped herself onto her side and said, “A guy that nobody likes. He never shuts up and he thinks that, oh, he’d the best, of course! Way better than _the guy he’s under in the Pigmask hIERARCHY!_ ”

Tori heavily sighed. “Basically, you don’t wanna meet him.”

Buzz Buzz nodded. He had figured as much from how illy Tori spoke of him - which he hadn’t heard her do in all the time they spent together.

“I’m just gonna, like, take a nap now,” Tori told Buzz Buzz. “Hopefully I can just… sleep my anger away.”

Tori rolled over and shut her eyes. Buzz Buzz laid down on his belly and looked out the window. He just wondered where things would lead him and Tori from here, and if everything would turn out okay.

* * *

 The ferry lurched over, throwing Tori off the bed and scaring her awake. A roar sounded from outside.

“What was that?!” Tori questioned, sitting up.

“I have no idea, should we take a look?” Buzz Buzz asked.

Tori stood up and said, “Yeah, let’s.”

Buzz Buzz flew to her shoulder and Tori ran out into the main room on the first floor. The room was completely empty, save for the clerk and the bartender. A handful of people were gathered on the decks just outside the room.

“I know what you’re gonna ask, so I’ll just tell ya - there’s this sea monster outside that’s causing a huge ruckus by the ferry,” the clerk told Tori. “Most people have gone to their rooms, but a few people went out to see the monster. I suggest you go back to your room.”

“No way, I wanna see the thing!” Tori retaliated.

“Well, suit yourself, but there’s a good chance you’ll die,” the clerk conceded. “The way to the deck’s just past me, then take a left.”

Tori ran past the clerk, sprinted down the narrow hall she found herself in, then took a left. She found herself on the deck, where wind carried the biting rain and many people had gathered, gripping the safety rail. Tori got close to the crowd as fast as she could, and held tight to the safety rail. Buzz Buzz dived into one of her pockets.

Another roar broke out, shrill and echoing. A wave hit the side of the ferry, causing it to tip over before balancing itself again. Something emerged from the murky water - a green-scaled monster with no visible eyes, a large mouth and red quills. Most people screamed at the sight of the sea monster, but Tori was strangely quiet, only staring at it with a look of concern.

“It looks… troubled,” Tori yelled over the noise to Buzz Buzz.

“It does?” Buzz Buzz climbed up Tori’s pocket and poked his head out. “It does.”

“What do you think’s bothering it?” Tori asked.

Buzz Buzz thought for a moment before telling her, “I have no idea.”

The sea monster roared again, then faced those gathered on the deck. People screamed even louder.

One man yelled, “It’s a kraken!”

The kraken scanned the crowd, most of whom were would be starting to back away if their lives didn’t depend on them holding the safety rail. Tori, however, was fixated on the kraken. The kraken looked at Tori, however it did that, for a few moments, then lowered itself down to her. It whined, then lifted up its quills. Tori grimaced at the sight under the kraken’s quills for a moment, before looking hard.

“Maybe there’s something in there causing it pain?” Buzz Buzz suggested.

Tori felt around hesitantly for anything out of place, and soon found, wedged between a quill and a scale, a small stone. Tori gingerly pulled it out, the kraken whining in pain as she did, and soon enough she had it sitting in the palm of her hand.

The kraken lowered its quills again and gave Tori a smile, chirped what seemed to be a thank you, then dived under the water and swam away.

“Okay, looks like things are all clear from here on out!” the captain announced over the intercom. “It’s smooth sailing to the Winters dock from here!”

The crowd soon headed back inside, Tori included. Buzz Buzz only dared to come out of her pocket once she had returned to the safety of her room. He sat on her shoulder as she observed the stone she had pulled out from the kraken.

The stone was small enough to fit into Tori’s hand, and about the size of Buzz Buzz’s body. It was quite smooth, and on the outside, appeared to be a pearly white. It _looked_ like a pearl, but something told both of them that it wasn’t.

“Maybe it… does something?” Tori suggested.

“Maybe. Try shaking it,” Buzz Buzz said.

Tori shook the stone, but nothing happened.

“Rub it between your hands?”

Still nothing.

“Wait wait wait I’ve got an idea,” Tori said, “We leave it in water for a few days and it’ll hatch into something, like a sea monkey but like how they’re actually depicted on the box.”

Buzz Buzz was silent for a moment before telling her, “The trip’s only lasting for another four hours.”

“Damn.”

“Well, I’m sure we’ll find out what purpose it serves soon,” Buzz Buzz reassured her.

“We’re gonna have to see a geologist about it,” Tori stated. “And until then, we’re just gonna have to focus on the task at hand - which I don’t actually know right now, but I will soon enough!”


	5. Welcome to Shambler Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tori and Buzz Buzz have made it to Winters! They also come across a village!

Tori wobbled off the ferry and onto the icy dock at the very outskirts of southern Winters. The dock was frosted over, unsurprisingly, and it took Tori a bit of effort to balance herself. Buzz Buzz dared not to go out of the pocket of Tori’s uniform - it was far too cold for him. He could also keep the stone safe in there, too.

A Pigmask with a white uniform and a cape waited for her and the other Pigmask that was on board not too far away from the dock.

“Aww, crap,” Tori muttered, “one of the colonels. I’m really gonna get it.”

Tori gulped, then approached the Pigmask Colonel with the Pigmask from Room 11.

The Pigmask Colonel gave Tori an odd look. “Soldier, where’s your mask?”

“The numbskull left at their last base,” the Room 11 Pigmask grumbled.

“Is that so?” The Pigmask Colonel sighed, then turned around and reached into a large suitcase. He handed a mask to match Tori’s uniform to her and said, “You’re lucky I brought a couple spare. Don’t go losing this one, or I’ll have to get Fassad to tell you not to. And you know how long _that’ll_ take. You’re also lucky I’m tired as hell and can’t be bothered giving you another rundown of our rules. I’ll let you off with just a warning this time.”

Once Tori had put the mask on, the Pigmask Colonel told them, “Now you two are gonna be investigating Winters. Not all by yourselves, of course - there’s already other soldiers looking around in various locations.” The Pigmask Colonel pointed at the Room 11 Pigmask and told him, “You’re going to be searching Summers for any Starmen, and you’re to take them out immediately and harvest their shells. We’re needing them for studies.” The Pigmask Colonel then pointed at Tori and told her, “As for YOU… You’re one of the doctor’s assistants, aren’t you?”

Tori nodded.

“Well, I’ve been told you’ll be needing to head to a place called Dalaam. They’ve got some strange creatures that the doctor himself would like to research, so try to bring back as many as you can.”

“Right. How do I get there, Colonel?” Tori asked.

“It’s, uh, apparently up the the sky. You’ll need to find a way to get up there. Look around for yourself.”

“Of course. Right away, Colonel!” Tori saluted, then marched away.

She passed over a hill when she wriggled her mask off and held it under her arm. “That thing is stuffy. And I like this air. Nice and cool.”

She took a deep breath in before hacking. “Maybe a little too cool.”

Buzz Buzz stifled a laugh, then said, “Let’s keep moving, shall we?”

Tori trekked through the fields, the snow crunching underfoot. A village appeared on the horizon. It grew closer as the minutes went by, and before she knew it, she was right there at the edge of the town.

An old wooden sign greeted her, but the original message had faded and the messily added new one wasn’t much easier to read.

“Buzz Buzz, could you help me read this sign?” Tori asked.

Buzz Buzz climbed up and poked his head out of her pocket, then stared at the discombobulated sign.

“Wel… tings… from… no, to…? ...Sha… Okay I don’t know what that last part says.” Buzz Buzz looked up at Tori and added, “In fact, I’m not sure what _any_ of it says.”

“It’s supposed to say ‘Welcome to Shambler Village’.” Tori and Buzz Buzz looked over to see the source of the new voice that just so helpfully told them what the sign was supposed to say - a tall, off-yellow wooly alien with its two bright red eyes going down its face, two noodle arms and a pair of feet poking out from underneath. “Welcome to Shambler Village!”

“I suppose you would be one of the residents? A Wooly Shambler, am I correct?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“Yessiree!” The Wooly Shambler smiled. “A whole bunch of us Shamblers found this abandoned human village and made it our own! It’s quite cozy, if you ask me, and I hope you enjoy your stay!”

The Wooly Shambler waltzed back into the village, and after exchanging glances, Tori and Buzz Buzz decided to follow him. The Wooly Shambler must have noticed, because he turned around to face them and said, “So I’m your tour guide now, ey? That’s fine by me! Come on, I'll show you around!”

The Wooly Shambler led them to a statue of a strange, dinosaur-like creature, which had moss and snow and chips in its surface all over. “This here’s the Tessie statue. Tessie lives up north from here, in Lake Tess. Never seen her in my life, probably never will, but I hear she’s real nice.”

The next stop in the Shambler Village tour was an old bar. “This is a popular gathering spot for the men! We have a good time here; we often arrange the darts into nice shapes on the dartboard!”

Tori and Buzz Buzz exchanged glances for a moment. The Shamblers were having fun, at least. They soon returned their attention to the Wooly Shambler, who had already started heading for the next sight. Tori caught up to him, and soon the Wooly Shambler had stopped in front of a house.

“And this here’s the home of Amienafleece! She’s on the old side, but she’s a good lady,” the Wooly Shambler told Tori and Buzz Buzz. “Would you like to meet her?”

“Uh, sure,” Tori replied.

The Wooly Shambler knocked on Amienafleece’s door, and a few moments later, the door opened to reveal a shorter, and quite likely younger Wooly Shambler standing inside. Said Wooly Shambler was most likely a child.

“Oh hi Rammy!” the Wooly Shambler child greeted, his face lighting up. “What’s up today?”

“I’ve got a couple of visitors!” the Wooly Shambler who had showed them around, Rammy, apparently, replied. “Don’t suppose Amienafleece is free?”

“She sure is!” the Shambler child said, then went further inside for a few moments to yell, “GRANNYYYY! RAMMY’S HERE WITH GUESTS!”

There was a reply, though not quite telligible from where Tori and Buzz Buzz were, then the Shambler child turned back to them. “She says you can come in.”

Rammy took no time at all to let himself inside. He just waltzed in like it was his own home. Tori was a little more hesitant, shuffling inside and gently placing her mask at the door, hoping nobody would take notice. It was surprisingly toasty in the house ( _‘Wouldn’t they overheat..?’_ ). She then shuffled into the living room, where Rammy and the Shambler child had already sat down on the old chairs. On another of said chairs was an elderly Wild n’ Wooly Shambler knitting away. It was hard to tell what she was knitting, possibly a scarf, but it was orange. She wore a pale orange vest that had faded over time and had at least two tea stains on it and a pink bobble hat, presumably she made herself.

Rammy told Tori, “This is Amienafleece! But we all call her Gran, or variations of it.” He then leaned over to Gran and whispered, “Say hi.”

Gran looked up from her knitting and at Rammy, giving an inquiring hum. Rammy pointed to Tori and Buzz Buzz, and said, “Oh! Hello, dear! You must be one of the guests. Welcome!”

Tori gave a shy wave.

“Where’s… Where’s the other guest, Rammtheal?”

Rammy glanced down at the ground as he thought aloud, then said, “Well I _know_ that there is one, I heard ‘em, but I don’t know where…”

“Maybe they’re invisible,” the Shambler child suggested.

“Uh, Buzz Buzz is in my pocket, actually,” Tori told them. Buzz Buzz warmed up his wings, then buzzed out of Tori’s pocket.

“Oh! How charming,” Gran said, looking up at Buzz Buzz. She then looked back to Tori and eyed her for a few moments, a look of judgement on her face. She then asked her, “Say, isn’t that the uniform of those piggy humans…?”

Tori’s face froze with surprise and that look you get when you’re trying to play something off but do a really bad job of it. She laughed nervously as she glanced around, then lied not very well, “Ohhh, _you know,_ I’m not part of them… I just… stole a uniform! To keep warm. Yeah.” Tori ended with a few nods, hoping that the Shamblers would fall for it.

They didn’t.

Gran had an eyebrow raised, Rammy looked kind of uncomfortable, and the Shambler child was just looking at the floor.

It was the Shambler child who broke the air. “SOOO, uh, Granny, why don’t you tell the guests a bit about yourself?”

“Please do,” Rammy whispered, though mostly to himself.

“Oh alright,” Gran said lightheartedly. She turned her attention to Tori and Buzz Buzz, who was now on Tori’s shoulder, and told them, “I just like doing things for the younger ones, really. I like making them clothes, even if we don’t need them. I think that clothes are cute! I also like to play Bingo, and when I was your age, in Shambler years, of course, I painted landscapes!”

“You sound like a woman of many talents,” Buzz Buzz commented.

“Oh, you!” Gran then went on to ask, “Would you like some tea?”

Tori replied, “Oh! Uh, yes please, Ms… Ms… Uh…”

“You can just call me Gran if that makes things easier for you.”

“Uh, okay! Yeah, I’d like some tea, Gran.”

Gran put down her knitting, got up and ambled to the kitchen the next room over.

“Do- ...Can Shamblers drink?” Buzz Buzz asked Rammy.

“Na. But it’s around, and we’ve figured out how to make it,” Rammy told him.

“Actually, someone taught us how to,” the Shambler child corrected Rammy.

“They did? Who?” Rammy asked.

“Uh… Some human wearing a trench coat and a fedora. I remember seeing him,” the Shambler child said. “Don’t remember what his name was, but he said he was off to a town in Eagleland.”

After more casual discussion, Tori’s tea was ready. Gran returned to her seat, and Tori sipped her tea almost immediately, burning her mouth. Gran and Rammy stifled laughs as she frantically blew on it to cool it down.

“Say,” Gran said to Buzz Buzz, eyeing his hands, “mustn't your fingers get cold without anything to cover them?”

“Well… I never really thought about it…”

“How do you not think about being cold,” the Shambler child asked. “I don’t know much about being cold but it’s really noticeable, right?”

“Yeah…”

“So how have you _not_ thought about it?”

Buzz Buzz didn’t have an answer.

“Would you like me to make you some gloves? To keep your hands warm?” Gran asked Buzz Buzz.

“Uh-”

“I’ll get started right away.” Gran got up again and walked out of the room.

There was a long silence before Rammy told Tori and Buzz Buzz, “...She’s like that.”

Gran soon came back with some lavender fabric, a spool of thread and a box of sewing needles and soon got to work.

After Tori had finished her tea, she and Buzz Buzz went out to explore Shambler Village a bit more. They talked to other locals, went in the bar and made their own dart shape on the dartboard, Tori made a snowman, and all around, she and Buzz Buzz had a good time together.

By the time Tori and Buzz Buzz had returned to Gran’s house, Buzz Buzz’s gloves had already been finished and Gran was back to knitting the scarf. They were tiny things - obviously they had to be. And not only that, there was a pair of matching boots.

“They’re so small and cute…” Tori cooed.

Buzz Buzz buzzed over to them and put them on - they were somehow a perfect fit.

“AWWWW!” Tori cooed, “They look so good on youuu!”

The Shamblers agreed wholeheartedly. Buzz Buzz had to admit, it was kind of embarrassing. He hadn’t gotten so much positive attention in a while, and the best he could do to handle it was to just stand there while the others gushed over his new gloves and boots.

“Ahem, anyway!” Buzz Buzz said. “We’re trying to make tracks for Dalaam, the only problem is, it’s up in the sky and we have no way of getting up there. Do you know of any way we could get there?”

The Shamblers thought for a moment, then Gran piped up, “I think there might be a way to get up there from Summers.”

“Summers?! Isn’t that where the Pigmask on our ferry was headed?” Tori hissed to Buzz Buzz.

“It is, but heading there may be the only way we can get to Dalaam,” Buzz Buzz replied in a hushed voice.

“I can come with you, if you would like to have an old lady like me accompany you,” Gran offered.

“But Granny! It’s dangerous out there! Like, super dangerous! You’ll get hurt!” the Shambler child cried.

“I’ll be fine,” Gran told him. “It’s not like my PSI has weakened over the years.”

“PSI?” Tori echoed. “What kind?”

“I’m very good at Lifeup,” Gran told her, “and I also know some Healing and Freeze. I still don’t know why I never learned Shield…”

“You won’t have to worry about that! I’ve got you covered with that!” Buzz Buzz proudly declared.

A giggle slipped out of Tori, causing Buzz Buzz to look up at her.

“You’ve got us _covered_ , like with a shield,” Tori smiled.

Buzz Buzz’s face morphed to horror then annoyance, and he groaned while slapping a hand to his face. Tori giggled again, showing a toothy smile.

“That was a stretch and you know it,” Buzz Buzz said.

Once Tori had collected herself, she told her, “We’d be honoured to have you along though! I bet you have a lot of experience with PSI, which is good, because I sure don’t.”

“I’m sure you’ll get better before you know it!” Gran reassured her, prompting a squeak of shock from Tori. “I’ll finish up this project and pack some things, then we can head out to Summers.”

Tori and Buzz Buzz ended up staying the night at Gran’s place - Gran, of course, provided generous amounts of food for them and a comfy bed. The knitting project - which _was_ a scarf - was finished the next day, and gifted to Tori. Tori almost forgot her mask with her before they left; Buzz Buzz reminded her. After Gran had packed her things into a Wooly Shambler backpack, she, Buzz Buzz and Tori were off to Summers by midday.


	6. Dream's Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another town, but what does this one have in store for the trio?

The snow on the road from Shambler Village slowly melted away as the now trio ventured closer to Summers. The snow soon gave way to brown grass and fallen leaves, and a path of dirt appeared under their feet. A town soon greeted them with the tattered sign on the outskirts - Welcome to Autumns.

The town looked to have been in disarray, but rebuilding, or rather, patching up efforts had been made, as indicated by the stray planks of wood on the ground. Most of the planks of wood had been added to the roofs or walls, and hammered in - although some had been just propped up against the wall.

A group of teens gathered by one of the better-looking houses spotted Tori, Buzz Buzz and Gran. One looked to be an 18 year old boy, another 16, a third a girl around 15, and the other two about 13. The oldest called out, “Hey! I don’t suppose you could help us out?”

Tori trotted over, Gran following behind her and Buzz Buzz on her shoulder, then asked, “What’s up?”

The other teens murmured amongst themselves, but were soon cut short by the eldest giving them a glare. He looked back at Tori and explained to her, “About a couple of weeks ago, the adults in our town started to go missing, and now there’s only a couple left. We dunno who’s taking them away, and we would look for ourselves, but the Starmen that invaded town have made sure that we can’t get out of town.”

Buzz Buzz looked around for a second before asking, “If you can’t get out of town, then how did you manage to patch it up?”

One of the thirteen year olds told him, “My dad has a bunch lying around! He and his friends helped us all put it in place.”

“Wait is that a talking bug,” the eldest teen asked.

“Yes, I am a talking bug,” Buzz Buzz told him.

“Oh my God.”

“There’s also been some weird voice speaking into our minds… When I say “our”, I mean us teenagers and the younger kids,” the fifteen year old added. “Most of it’s cryptic crap that kinda sounds like a prophecy from a fantasy book or somethin’, the rest is kinda unsettling positivity and reassurance.”

“So if you could help us with either of these problems in any way, that would be great,” the eldest teen finished.

“Of course we’ll help!” Tori replied. “This sounds like a major problem that needs fixing.”

The teenagers’ faces all lit up with grateful smiles.

“Thank you so much!!” the eldest teen exclaimed. “Come on. I’ll lead you to my house.”

The eldest teen took them down the cobblestone path that went through town, then around a few corners until they finally arrived at a large house, presumably the eldest teen’s. The house had a few broken windows and a torn up garden out front. It didn’t seem like the house was going to fall down at any minute, though.

Inside were several children, from as young as kindergarteners to almost as old as the teen who had current ownership of the house. They all looked at him when he entered, then at Tori, Buzz Buzz and Gran.

“Who’re they?” one child, about five, asked loudly.

With a wave, Tori said, “I’m Tori, behind me is Gran, and on my shoulder is Buzz Buzz!”

Just so everyone knew that Tori wasn’t lying, or at least had an imaginary friend, he darted off Tori’s shoulder and said, “Hello!”

The children gasped. Then a second later they all started shouting about how he was a talking bug.

“My, they’re quite noisy, aren’t they?” Gran asked the eldest teen. He just nodded.

“Okay, settle down, settle down!” the eldest teen shouted over the children, which worked to an extent. He decided to ignore the remaining blabbering children as he announced, “These kind visitors are gonna help us find our parents, okay?”

A moment of silence. All the children and teens cheered.

Once they had all settled down, the fifteen year old girl asked, “Bruno! You have the time?”

A child about 10 years old stood up and dashed into another room, then quickly came back and told them, “It’s 10pm!”

“Crap, it got late quick,” Tori muttered.

The fifteen year old clapped twice, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Alright, time for bed! It’s _way_ past it for some of you!”

A chorus of disappointed “aww”s came from the children, though the older teens were happy to finally get some rest.

The kids and teens shuffled around, some heading out to other rooms, others just relocating in the room they were gathered in. Gran sat down in an old chair, and soon found a child no older than eight sitting on one of the chair’s arms.

“Is your name really Gran?” the child asked.

Gran giggled, then replied, “No, but it’s a lot easier to say than my real name.”

“Believe me,” Tori added, “I’m 22 and I’m _still_ trying to figure out how to say it.”  
  
“Let’s hope that doesn’t keep you up at night,” Buzz Buzz said, a smirk on his face.

“Wow, you’re old!” the child gasped.

“I am old,” Tori agreed.

The child returned their attention of Gran as Tori asked the teens she met outside where she should sleep, and asked, “Are you good at telling stories?”

“I like to think I am, yes.”

By now a gathering of similarly aged children had gathered in front of her, just as curious as the one sitting on the chair’s arm.

“Can you tell us a story?” the child next to Gran asked excitedly.

“Pleeeeeease?” the other children chorused, putting on their biggest smiles.

“Oh, alright,” Gran chuckled. “This one’s called “Donna and the Giant Apple.” Once upon a time, there was a girl named Donna. She was a curious child, and loved to explore. Her parents always told her to never go into the forest, but she didn't listen to them and often went in anyway. One day, she stumbled upon an apple. But it was no ordinary apple. It was the biggest, shiniest apple she had ever seen…”

* * *

 Buzz awoke to a strange, grey room, filled with machinery not quite alien, but not quite human either. Most of it was looming over him, their points gleaming at him menacingly, but only for a moment. Only now did he realise he had no perceivable form - he was invisible, like he was just watching from the outside, but still was still part of the world. He sat up slowly, being careful not to bump the machinery over him. He slid himself off the table he had been lying on, and it disappeared in an instant. The machinery was still very much there, though. It creaked as it slowly turned itself to point in his direction. This didn’t phase him as much as it should have. Eyeing the machinery, he went to the door and slipped out of the room.

The hall he had entered could barely be described as a hall. The walls were just as grey as the last room he was in, but eyes - nearly human - were attached to the wall, and stared at him from every angle, their red pupils piercing through him, somehow. A thin red mist creeped along what could be considered the floor - a black abyss made of _something,_ but what exactly was unknown, and forever would be. Buzz hesitantly walked down the hall, the eyes watching him with every step. They slowly morphed, their sclera turning black and pupils turning white, their shape becoming elongated. More red mist came in from behind him, gathering at his feet and swirling around him. This hall seemed like it would go on forever, but it also seemed as if it ended too soon, as he soon came across a Starman. Said Starman was the spiked kind, though it stood much taller than one. It looked down at Buzz, his eye unblinking, his gaze never shifting. It stood there, unmoving. Buzz reached his hand, wherever it may have been, out, and a **click** sounded, echoing through the hall. A cut had appeared in the spiked Starman’s body - a perfectly straight, symmetrical cut that led to an inky black abyss.

Just one step past the Starman’s door and already he could feel himself falling. But also rising, but also going down as if he were in elevator, but also being tugged up like someone were gripping his hands, but also not moving at all. However he was moving in that one spot, or not at all, he soon found a white door. This door was not Starman-shaped, but instead one you’d find on a house. It felt… homely. Welcoming, almost, if it didn’t give off an aura of dread. Regardless, Buzz went through, and down another grey corridor. There were no eyes, but the red mist had returned, and now he could hear faint whispers. It was impossible to tell what they were saying, maybe a name, maybe a place, maybe secrets hidden in the deepest reaches of the earth. The hall led to a wide open room, where the red mist receded into nothingness and the whispering faded until all was quiet. In the middle of that room was a child sitting with his back turned to him. A child who should not have been here. A child who had no business in anything he was involved in. He must have stared for a little too long, as he soon dissolved into thin air. And then he heard another voice, completely unfamiliar to him.

“...Hello…?

...Hello, can you hear me…?

My name… ...repeat it? My name is…

...to the Starman base in this town…

Come to the Starman base in this town…

There is something you need to know…”

A static.

“Remember… my… ...Leicra…

Co… arman base in…”

* * *

 Buzz Buzz’s eyes shot open as he gasped. His eyes darted around the room as he tried to calm his breathing to find that Tori had just woken up at the same time as him. They held eye contact for what seemed like ages before Tori asked, “You okay…?”

“Yeah, I just,” Buzz Buzz let out a sigh and said, “I just had a bad dream.”

“You too?” Tori asked, here eyebrows raising.

“ _You_ had a bad dream as well?” Buzz Buzz questioned.

“Yeah! Well, it started out weird, but then it got bad quick,” Tori told him. “There were pigs. Lots of pigs. And a mech. I don’t remember what it looked like.”

Tori was silent for a few moments as she contemplated something, a troubled look on her face as she stared at her pillow. Buzz Buzz picked up on this, and knew what she might have been considering.

“You don’t have to tell me any more than that if you don’t want to,” Buzz Buzz told her. Tori looked over at him with surprise.

She was silent for another moment before recollection spread across her face. “Oh! Another just weird thing - there was this voice that spoke to me? Said their name was Leicra or something? And that I had to go to the Starman base nearby?”

“I heard that same voice too!” Buzz Buzz gasped.

“Huh. Maybe we _both_ need to go to the Starman base?”

Buzz Buzz warmed up his wings, then hovered up. “I think we might, but we should check if Gram got the same message as us first.”

After Tori had hauled herself out of bed, she and Buzz Buzz went down to the lounge. Some of the kids were awake already, though it didn’t seem they had any strange dreams. Gran was awake too, and sitting in the chair she had sat in the previous night. Buzz Buzz spotted her and buzzed over to her.

“Ah, good morning Buzz Buzz!” Gran greeted. “Did you have a good sleep?”

“Uh, yeah,” Buzz Buzz fibbed. “I don’t suppose you had someone speak to you through your dreams last night?”

“No, I didn’t have a dream at all last night, unfortunately,” Gran told him, a look of guilt coming across her face.

“Okay, I was just wondering,” Buzz Buzz replied. He then rushed back over to Tori, who had been chatting with the 13 year olds.

“Did she hear Leicra too?” Tori asked Buzz Buzz as came back.

“No,” he replied. “I guess it will just be me and you.”

“And just when she joined us, too…” Tori was quiet for a moment before changing the subject, “Well, I hear that breakfast will be ready shortly. Not sure what, not expecting much, but I’m still happy to get something to eat!”

Hearing that put a smile on Buzz Buzz’s face. For the 20 minutes they had to wait for the breakfast to be ready, Buzz Buzz and Tori had chats with many of the children in the house. The breakfast was served in the kitchen just right of the lounge. It wasn’t anything spectacular - just soup, but damn if it didn’t taste good. Though all the food made Buzz Buzz realise something.

As he sat on the dinner table next to Tori, he stated, “I just realised, I haven’t felt hungry since I first woke up in this body.”

Tori finished slurping up her soup, and as she put her bowl to the table, she said, “Well the fact that you’re technically dead might have something to do with it.”

Buzz Buzz grimaced.

“Also mutation,” Tori added. “That body you’re in? It’s some kind of rhino beetle, but rhino beetles aren’t usually so anth… anth- ...anthropomorphized. With all this gloom around, I wouldn’t be surprised if it affected the animals physically as well.” She paused before adding, “Though you walking on two legs could also be because of… y’know.”

It wasn’t much longer after their brief chat did the eighteen year old boy collect everyone’s bowls. He actually did a lot of the soup preparation, too. Once everyone had been excused from the table, Tori went up to the eighteen year old while he washed the bowls.

“Oh, hey,” he casually greeted, “what’s up?”

“Me and Buzz Buzz got this voice in our dreams last night, they wanted us to go to the Starman base near here,” Tori explained.

The boy’s eyes widened. “Wait, you don’t mean… Did they tell you their name?!”

“Yeah, it was Leicra.”

The boy was dumbfounded. He simply stood there in stunned silence, staring at the sink for a few moments before uttering, “But… how?” He looked up at Tori and told her, “Well, I dunno why Leicra’s reaching out to adults now, but you must be pretty important if they are. You go to the Starman base. It’s to the west of here.”

Tori nodded, then jogged back into the lounge. She quickly told Gran where she and Buzz Buzz were off too, and Gran understood completely.

“I’ll be watching the kids,” she said. “They’re so endearing - and someone’s got to keep them good company.”

With that, Tori was out the door, Buzz Buzz buzzing beside her. The Autumns Starman Base was a 15 minute run from the house - and it was bigger than anything Tori had ever seen.

“Well crap,” she muttered. “Now what.”


	7. The Apple of Enlightenment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tori and Buzz Buzz finally find out what Leicra wants! It seems to be pretty serious, too.

Tori’s first course of action was to make a Starman illusion for herself - this  _ was  _ a Starman base after all. But she couldn’t just waltz in through the front door. It was unlocked, yeah, but the actual Starmen would be a little suspicious.

“What we could really use right now is some guidance,” Tori muttered. “Like a guide book or a sign from the heavens…”

“Tori…” Buzz Buzz pointed at an out of place sign and told her, “There  _ is  _ a sign.”

Tori stared at the wooden sign with disbelief for a few moments before walking up to it and kneeling down in front of it.

“To those who I contacted last: there is an entrance nearby that will allow you to sneak into the base undetected. Please use it. I will contact you when I can. Also, please take this sign with you,” Tori read aloud.

“I’m assuming that sign was written by Leicra?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“I dunno,” Tori replied. “There’s no name on it, but I’d hope it was made by them.”

She stood up and said, “Welp, only one thing to do!”

She grabbed the bottom of the sign and hauled it out of the ground, having made skid marks in the ground once she had it out.

“Right, let’s find this entrance.”

Tori wandered around the general area while Buzz Buzz looked up in higher places, and together, they completely missed where the hidden entrance was. After about ten minutes, Tori and Buzz Buzz met up and shared ideas on what they heck they’d have to do to find the hidden entrance.

“It would have to be something achievable, right?” Tori asked.

“Yes, otherwise this would be a trap,” Buzz Buzz replied.

“Well the fact Leicra told us to come to a Starman base is a little odd.”

“Yeah… Maybe it is a trap.”

There was a brief silence before Tori added, “Should we just wait here?”

“Waiting here would be the  _ worst  _ thing to do,” Buzz Buzz told her. He glanced back at the hole where the sign had been pulled out and told Tori, “Just wait, I’m going to check over there.”

Buzz Buzz darted over to the hole where the sign was. There didn’t seem to be anything immediately obvious - no button of any kind around it. He poked his head into the hole, and soon saw the smallest patch of dirt that looked out of place. It was a shade darker than the rest of the dirt, and while it could have just been his shadow making him see things, he still thought it was a good idea to check. He dove deeper into the hole and scraped the darker patch of dirt. Buzz Buzz could have sworn he heard a  **click** from somewhere, and his belief seemed to be backed up by a loud rumbling. Darting out of the hole, he saw that an opening had appeared in the cliff face nearby. Knowing it was the secret entrance Leicra wanted them to use, Tori and Buzz Buzz entered the opening.

Metal floor greeted them as Tori walked in. After Tori had taken a few steps into the passageway, a metal door slammed shut behind them, making them flinch. Tori took a moment to settler her nerves, then continued down the passageway she and Buzz Buzz had entered.

The passageway was dimly lit, the only light source being the spaced out LED lights above them. The walls were coated in the same metal as the floor way, and they gave off a dull shine as the light hit them. The passageway was long, empty and cold, and it seemed like forever until Tori and Buzz Buzz would get even the tiniest change of scenery.

Tori and Buzz Buzz had been making their way down the passageway for about five drawn out minutes when a static briefly filled their hearing. The static cut out after moment, and Leicra’s voice called out to them again.

“I can sense your PSI from here…

It is very strong. You must be using a technique of some kind.

There is no need to use it right now. You are safe down here.”

Tori and Buzz Buzz exchanged glances before Tori flicked her hands, and her Starman disguise faded with some sparkles.

“That’s better.

Worry not, you are approaching the end of the passageway.

Once you do, go to the right. The left is dangerous.”

Another brief static, then Leicra was gone.

“We must be getting close, if they only gave us one direction,” Buzz Buzz commented.

“Or they didn't want to overload us with directions,” Tori suggested.

The two continued down the passageway until they came across a fork in the path. There wasn’t much other way to go than left or right. Taking Leicra’s word, Tori and Buzz Buzz headed down the right path. That path went on for a while as well, much to Tori’s dismay, but soon she and Buzz Buzz reached a door with a keypad to the right of it.

“Leicra?” Buzz Buzz said aloud, “There’s a door here, how do we open it?”

A static briefly filled Buzz Buzz and Tori’s hearing, then Leicra spoke again.

“You have made it there already?

Wonderful!

Although, you do not need to speak aloud to contact me this way. Just thinking it will suffice.

The passcode is 1155.”

Another brief static, and Leicra was silent again.

“Alrighty, 1155…”

Tori keyed in the passcode, and the door slid open with a satisfying  **swish.** Tori and Buzz Buzz went through. Buzz Buzz whipped around to check if the door had a way to close it. There was - there was an identical keypad on the other side, which had a little red button in the corner. Pressing it closed the door, and Buzz Buzz darted back over to Tori’s side.

They had found themselves in a shorter hall, and it got darker as they went further in. Soon, it was pitch black. They kept going for a few moments, before Tori stopped. A small flame of PK Fire appeared in between her hands, and she told Buzz Buzz, who looked on with raised eyebrows, “Just thought I’d give us some light.”

They went on with their surroundings lit by Tori’s PK Fire, but they soon found there was no need - a soft glow filtered under the next door that they had now come across. Tori blew out the PK Fire. Strangely, this door was more similar to a human-made door, with a doorknob and the only sign of Starman technology being a soft green light at the upper middle of the door. Tori opened it, and she and Buzz Buzz went inside the room.

The room was small, with various Starman tablets scattered on the table that lined the back wall and most of the side walls. Loose wires were strewn about, but had kicked to the sides in an attempt to clean up. In the middle of the room sat a large, round object that gave off a soft, yellow glow - it looked like a piece of technology, perhaps a computer or engine of sorts, and it was definitely from another star, but something about it seemed like it wasn’t the case. The object was a deep red with glowing golden veins running down it. The object almost seemed  _ alive,  _ but it seemed silly to both Tori and Buzz Buzz to think that was the case. Standing behind the object was a Blue Starman, keenly looking at them. They had a white lightning bolt going across their eye, though it was hard to discern whether it was paint or a scratch in the low light. Their arms were politely folded in front of them, and when they spoke, it was immediately obvious who they were.

“Welcome! I am Leicra, the one who has been contacting you.” And yet, Leicra introduced themself anyway.

“Uh… hi,” Tori greeted awkwardly. “You’re not… freaked out? You’re not freaked out by a Pigmask and a bug coming into your base?”

“Not at all,” Leicra told her, “in fact, I knew that you would be the way you are. I was told ahead of time.”

“What? By who?!” Buzz Buzz questioned.

“Allow me to explain.” Leicra looked down at the object and rested a hand on it as they explained, “This is the Apple of Enlightenment. Giygas stole it from its home after hearing about its power to predict the future, and used it to foresee the events of the war. After being told of those who would stop him, he discarded it, and it has been resting here ever since.

I have been tasked with looking after it for a while. Us Blue Starmen don’t get to do a lot these days. I soon grew intrigued about the Apple, and I started talking to it. It told me many things about the world, and it told me more recently to be on the lookout for a Pigmask, a bug and a Wild ‘n’ Wooly Shambler. That is, you two, and the Shambler you came with.”

Leicra paused for a little while, then said, “Come closer to the Apple.”

Tori cautiously took a few steps forward, and Buzz Buzz flitted closer too, then landed on Tori’s shoulder.

“Apple of Enlightenment, tell us the fate of the world.”

The Apple of Enlightenment glowed brighter for a moment, then, its voice echoing through the room, replied, “Four Earth children: a boy, a girl, a boy, and a boy, will stop Giygas from conquering the earth and sending all to darkness.”

Tori’s eyebrows turned up with confusion. “But… that didn’t happen… Giygas is still here! Everything is in darkness!”

“Correct,” the Apple of Enlightenment replied. “Because Giygas was successful in stopping these chosen heroes.”

“So then how…”

The room was silent for a moment before Buzz Buzz said, “Wait. I think I might know.”

Tori and Leicra looked at Buzz Buzz. While Leicra was solely curious, Tori was even more confused, but hopeful.

“There was a legend from ancient times where I was from - it was handed to down to all of us,” Buzz Buzz explained. “‘When the chosen boy reaches the point, he will find the light. The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock and will reveal the path of light.’ I never understood it, but it was essential to remember it…”

“Fascinating!” Leicra awed.

“Oh, and there was another part of it!” Buzz Buzz added, his wings fluttering with excitement. “It was said that three boys and one girl will defeat a ‘Universal Cosmic Destroyer’... It has to be about what the Apple said!”

The Apple of Enlightenment glowed again, and said, “Correct. Though I am unsure of how you know that, what you recall is true.”

“Then… how do we make it true?” Tori asked the Apple. “Is there any way?”

The Apple of Enlightenment was silent.

After a moment, Leicra told her, “I think you may have asked your question wrong. It has happened to me a few times.”

“Uh, okay, let me try again.” Tori looked at the Apple of Enlightenment and asked, “Apple of Enlightenment, how can we get the prophecy fulfilled?”

The Apple of Enlightenment glowed, then replied, “You and one other must end the dispute that is now taking over Earth. Once you have, one of you must take the first prophecy back to the chosen heroes. The way will become clear with time.”

Tori and Buzz Buzz were left in awe.

Leicra stared at the Apple for a moment longer, then turned to Tori and Buzz Buzz and told them, “While you are not the most conventional of heroes, it is better than none. I wish you luck on this quest. Now you must go - before the others find you.”

“Well, we’d best be on our way if that’s the case,” Buzz Buzz said. He buzzed over to the door and hovered by it as he waited for Tori to open it for him.

The walk back out was uneventful. The only thing stopping it from being as boring as the trip there was the fact that their new quest was still buzzing in their minds. As Tori and Buzz Buzz returned outside, three metal bodies stood in their way, causing them to freeze in fear. A Starman Super, accompanied by two other Starmen blocked their path.

“You thought you could simply use that entrance to the underground chambers as you pleased?” the Starman Super clicked.

“And a Pigmask, too!” the left Starman added. “No doubt that  _ “King”  _ of theirs got them to investigate for him!”

“There’s only one thing to do here, men.” The Starman Super raised an arm and shouted, “GET ‘EM!”

The Starmen wasted no time in attacking Tori, both opting to go with a PK Beam. One managed to get Tori right in the gut. Buzz Buzz put up a PSI Shield, which collided with the second PK Beam and pretty much reduced it to nothing. 

“Where did that PSI Shield come from…?” the Starman Super questioned, taking a step back. “No matter. Continue attacking!”

The Starmen did as they were told, and one readied another PK Beam while the other put up a Shield for himself. Tori launched a PK Fire at the two Starmen, roasting them both. Another PK Beam was fired at Tori, and thanks to the PSI Shield Buzz Buzz had set up, the blow was softened. Tori let loose another PK Fire. She then followed up with a PK Thunder, but the one bolt she fired hit no one.

“Foolish human,” the Starman Super taunted, “you don’t even know how to fire a bolt properly? Even if you do have PSI, you’ll go down in a flash!”

The Starmen fired another PK Beam each, and while the PSI Shield softened both blows, Tori was starting to run low on health. That, and the PSI Shield broke. Buzz Buzz quickly remedied this by setting a new one. Tori fired another wave of PK Fire, getting the Starmen on about the same level of health as her. One Starman fired yet another PK Beam, and Tori barely managed to hang onto her life. She retaliated with a PK Thunder - and this time, it hit. The Starman collapsed onto the grass with an empty  **clank.** Buzz Buzz glanced at the other Starman, who was too busy taking a Sudden Guts Pill. He darted off Tori’s shoulder and slammed his horn into the base of other Starman’s head. Even with the Shield, the damage was enough to knock the Starman out. Buzz Buzz quickly returned to Tori’s shoulder.

“Hmph. I should have known those two wouldn’t quite be enough. But that’s why I’M here, isn’t it?” the Starman Super growled.

He charged at Tori, who smacked the sign she was holding into the side of his head. The sign snapped in two, leaving part of the message on the ground and the other part, plus the pole, im Tori’s hands.

Holding a hand to the side of his head, the Starman Super said, “Hah! You think a sign can stop  _ me?! _ ”

“CHAAAAAAAAAAARGE!”

Footsteps and teens screaming was heard from not too far away, and quickly came closer. All the teens from Autumns had come rushing onto the scene, immediately assaulting the Starman Super and climbing all over him. They did whatever the could to harm him - throw rocks, kick him, some of the more impulsive ones just punched him, and a lot brought the thickest branches they could find. From around the crowd of teenagers, Gran ran over to Tori’s side.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

The most Tori could manage to say in reply was a drawn out “uh”, so Buzz Buzz told her, “She’s taken a fair bit of damage from the Starmen that attacked her. I shielded her, of course, but they were rather strong.”

“Oh dear. Let me fix you right up.” Gran embraced Tori in a hug, and the PSI Lifeup energy from the former flowed into the latter, giving her strength. Gran released Tori as soon as she was healed up.

Meanwhile, the Starman Super was suffering under the attack of several teenagers. It wasn’t that they were particularly strong, but their sheer numbers were taking quite a toll. 

“Please!” the Starman Super wailed, “Please, somebody, help me! I need backup!”

“Never!” one teen screamed.

“Yeah! We won’t let you get backup!” another teenager, a girl, added.

The mauling went on for a little while longer before the Starman Super wailed again, “Please! I give up! Just let me go!”

The teenagers halted for a moment, eyeing the Starman Super suspiciously, before the eighteen year old who owned the house they lived in simply said, “No.” And then he smacked him over the head with a branch. 

The Starman Super fell to the ground, and after a rattling  **clank** had passed, the teens cheered. Most went back to the house, but the eighteen year old and a couple of others that had accompanied him the previous day stayed behind.

“You alright?” the eighteen year old asked Tori and Buzz Buzz.

“Yeah, mostly,” Tori replied. “A little sore, but really I don’t think it’s anything a little sleep can’t fix.”

“That’s a relief,” the sixteen year old, who had been oddly quiet the previous day, said.

“We heard an alert from our house that someone had gotten in and they need to “be eliminated” or whatever, we assumed that they were gonna kill you, so we got ready to kick a… butt,” one of the thirteen year olds explained.

Tori nodded, before a strange pain came over her. Or rather, it came over her head.

“What is it  _ now? _ ” the thirteen year old asked as Tori grabbed Gran’s shoulder.

There was no response, and it stayed that way for a few moments before Tori perked right back up again like nothing had happened.

She blinked, then said, “That was weird. It was like this haze came over me, and then it was like, a migraine, which is weird because I don’t usually have those, and then it just… stopped.”

“Not… usually?” the eighteen year old asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I had one about a couple of months ago, actually, and it was a little bit after that I learned I had-” Tori cut her explanation short as realisation hit her. She stood up in a flash, then held out her hands and focused. A purple wave emerged from her hands and made its way to Buzz Buzz. The wave passed through him, then darted into Tori.

“Huh. That was weird. I feel like I could pull off another PK Fire no sweat, though.”

There was a brief silence before Buzz Buzz told her, “You learned PSI Magnet Alpha. Though you took the PSI from  _ me. _ ”

Tori’s mouth fell open with shock, then said, “Sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it too much,” Buzz Buzz reassured her, waving a hand. “With a little sleep, I’ll be fine.”

“Speaking of,” the thirteen year old piped up, “can we go home now? I’m  _ tiiiiiired. _ ”

“We sure can,” the eighteen year old replied. With that, the other teens headed back home, and Tori, Buzz Buzz and Gran followed them.

“So why exactly did you head off to the Starman base?” Gran asked Tori and Buzz Buzz.

“The one who had been talking to the kids via telepathy contacted us as well,” Buzz Buzz explained. “They wanted us to go there and meet them.”

“It didn’t go badly, did it?” Gran asked, concern written all over.

“Oh no, I’d say it went quite well,” Buzz Buzz told her. “And now we’ve been tasked with saving the world. Or at least, getting the ones who would have saved the world originally… to save the world…”

“Basically, we have to make sure they don’t die,” Tori told Gran.

“Oh goodness. I’m not one of the people who have to go with you, am I?”

Tori and Buzz Buzz looked at one another as they shared a long “uhh”.

“Maybe?” Tori replied.

“We were just told that there was “you and one other”, though we’re not sure if that meant it was me, Tori and the one who contacted us, or us three and the one who contacted us,” Buzz Buzz explained.

“Or me, Buzz Buzz and someone we haven’t met yet, or us and someone we haven’t met yet,” Tori added.

“Oh my. Well, I will keep going with you,” Gran told them. “The children here are darling, and I would love to stay, but if you two have such a daunting task on your hands, I don’t want you failing.”

“Thanks, Gran,” Tori said, a faint smile appearing on her face.

Before long, they had returned to the house, and Tori and Buzz Buzz were quick to go to sleep again. Gran told the children another story before they too went to bed, and for a little while, everything felt safe. Though tomorrow, the dawn of a new adventure would rise. Tomorrow would be the start of a turnabout - soon, the world would start getting better. Even if it was just a little bit.


	8. Summers, Dreary Death Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang enter Summers, and there’s surprises inbound.

Walking into Summers, immediately Buzz Buzz, Tori and Gran could see that everything was dead. The everlasting dark, hazy sky was even darker here, the road had been torn up, but strangely, the buildings were untouched. Maybe they were just too expensive to destroy.

Tori led the way to the footpath, Gram closely following her. Buzz Buzz was glad to be perched on Tori’s should and not have to walk anymore; that footpath looked _sharp._

“So, what are we doing here again, Tori?” Gran asked, as Tori paused, looking for the next safest path.

Tori looked up as she thought aloud, “Uh, well, I _was_ going to find a way to Dalaam, and then you said there might be a way to get there from Summers?”

Nodding, Buzz Buzz told her, “That sounds right.”

“Oh good. So, uh, yeah, we’re looking for a way to Dalaam,” Tori told Gran.

“Why, again?”

Tori blanked.

“Well, for now, we should find a place to rest. There should be a hotel nearby,” Buzz Buzz said.

And there was - at the other end of the dead town was a hotel. Tori, Gran and Buzz Buzz made their way there as carefully as they could, and within a few minutes, they were standing right outside it. The sign had faded, so it was impossible to tell what it was called, but it barely mattered. They went inside, happy to find a place to rest.

The inside was surprisingly clean for a place residing in an abandoned town. Though no one was sure what to think about the pile of dusty brown, presumably dead aliens behind the check-in counter.

Tori just stared at the pile of dead aliens with shock and disgust, while Gran tried to distract herself from it. Buzz Buzz decided to join Gran in her distraction-finding quest, hopping off Tori’s shoulder.

A Pigmask walked down the stairs leading to some of the guest rooms and over to the pile. He spotted Tori, and frowned at her for a few moments before grumbling, “You again.”

Tori was snapped out of her disgust-induced daze and replied, “Uh, yeah! Me! You’re the guy from Room 11 on the ferry we went on, right?”

“Yup, that’s me.” The Room 11 Pigmask sighed and crossed his arms. “And I see you’ve forgotten your mask _again._ ”

Tori just laughed sheepishly, an awkward lopsided grin on her face.

“You’re gonna get it _big time._ I’ll be surprised if you even have half your brain cells by the end of it.” The Room 11 Pigmask then returned his attention to the pile of dead aliens.

“So, uh, what’s… What’s that?” Tori asked, pointing at the pile.

“Dead Starmen.” The Room 11 Pigmask hauled a Starman off the pile and heaved it onto his back. “Took the shells off them; it was damn hard to find a way without denting them but I found it.”

Tori was silent. Her face was hard to read at that moment, but whatever she was feeling, it wasn’t something good.

By now, Buzz Buzz was watching the scene, and his eyes drifted along as he watched the Room 11 Pigmask haul the shell-less Starman up to one of the guest rooms. Once the Pigmask had gone inside, he turned his attention to Tori and asked, “Did you really think Starmen were all robotic?”

“YES,” Tori wailed.

“Well I don’t blame you,” Gran told her, only looking a little away from the old magazine she had picked up. “They _do_ look awfully like robots.”

The Room 11 Pigmask came out of the room, and as he came down the stairs, he asked Tori, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in Dalaam?”

“Oh, yeah, I am, I just came here to find a way there,” Tori explained.

The Pigmask nodded, then heaved another shell-less Starman onto his back and went back upstairs again.

The hotel was quiet until the Room 11 Pigmask came back down the stairs again.

“Uh, actually, I don’t suppose there’s a free room?” Tori asked the Room 11 Pigmask. “We kinda need a place to stay for a little while.”

The Room 11 Pigmask narrowed his eyes. “You…” he looked at Gran and finished, “...and the Shambler.”

“Yeah.”

The Room 11 Pigmask looked back at Tori and told her, “You realise that you weren’t supposed to get a Shambler, right?”

“Yeahhh, but, who doesn’t love a good Shambler…?”

The Room 11 Pigmask stared at her for a few moments before asking, “The doctor hasn’t studied them, has he?”

Tori shook her head no.

“Then I guess you and the Shambler can stay. The room next to the one I’ve been going in and out of is empty - you can stay in there for a little while.”

Tori gasped, and as she ran up the stairs, she called, “Thank youuuu!”

Buzz Buzz darted after her, and Gran ran as fast as she could to catch up.

Once Tori arrived on the highest floor, she opened the first door she saw. Inside were two piles - Starman shells and Starmen. Tori slowly closed the door a second later. She then went over to the second door and opened that one - thankfully, it was empty. While the room was awfully dusty and the view wasn’t much now, it was certainly better than nothing.

The door shut behind her, and Tori dusted off the right bed, then the dresser next to it, then sat down on the bed. Buzz Buzz sat up on the dresser, and Gran dusted off the left bed before sitting down on it.

“I sure am glad that guy let us stay,” Tori said. “Most Pigmasks only really look out for themselves.”

“That sounds awful,” Gran replied. “How did you manage?”

Tori’s eyebrows arched as she mumbled, “Hell if I know.”

“But regardless, you were very brave. You still are,” Buzz Buzz told her.

A wide, bashful smile creeped onto Tori’s face. It lingered for a while until she remembered something, then fished through her pockets and pulled out the stone she had got from the kraken.

“Hey Gran, do you know what kind of stone this is?” Tori asked, looking over at her.

Gran hopped up and shuffled over to take a look at the stone.

“It doesn’t look like a pearl… or anything else I’ve seen,” Gran said after a while.

“Well… at least we asked,” Buzz Buzz said.

As Tori put the stone back in her pocket, she explained, “I got the stone while on the ferry I was taking to Winters, and I _think_ it might have something to do with our quest? And speaking of which, how are we even gonna _start_ ending this dispute…”

The door clicked open, and the Room 11 Pigmask poked his masked head in. “Dispute? You mean the one between us and the Starmen, right?”

“Uhh, yeah, that’s the one,” Tori replied, a nervous smiling faintly appearing.

“How? Bomb them?”

“Uh…”

“Not a bomb, then? I get it. Too dangerous - might end with you in the lab for a _different_ reason.” The Room 11 Pigmask chuckled as he came further into the room, but didn’t stray too far from the doorway.

No one else found that funny.

“So if you won’t bomb them… then how do you plan on making them surrender?”

“That’s the _thing,_ I have no idea ho-” Tori glared at the Room 11 Pigmask and questioned aloud, “Wait why am I telling _you_ this?!”

The Room 11 Pigmask grunted with confusion, then asked, “Whaddya mean, “why are you telling me this”? This could get you way up in the ranks if you give it enough tho-” The Room 11 Pigmask cut himself off as he squinted at Tori for a few moments. “Unless… You heard about the rebel Starman captain too…?”

“The… The what?” Tori asked.

“Don’t act dumb with me!” the Room 11 Pigmask snapped. “You know how fast news gets around once the spies file in their reports!”

“I’ve literally never heard of-”

The Room 11 Pigmask whipped the laser gun off his belt and loaded it. He snarled, “I guess even a worm will turn.”

The Room 11 Pigmask pointed his gun straight at Tori. Buzz Buzz quickly cast PSI Shield Sigma, and just as the laser fired from the Room 11 Pigmask’s gun, Tori rolled off her bed and fell to the ground with a **thud.**

“ _Please_ tell me you can at least match him in power with a gun of your own,” Buzz Buzz said to Tori as she stood up.

“Who needs a gun when you have _fire?_ ” Tori answered.

“You… You forgot your gun too, didn’t you,” Buzz Buzz asked.

Tori cast PK Fire on the Room 11 Pigmask, engulfing him in flames for a moment, then turned her head to Buzz Buzz and replied, “Yes but I can shoot fire from my fingers it hardly matters to me.”

The Room 11 Pigmask fired another shot which Tori barely managed to duck down for in time, then retaliated with another PK Fire. The Room 11 Pigmask kicked Tori in the stomach, both knocking her down to the floor and leaving her winded.

“Buzz Buzz, you may have forgot that PSI Shield only protects against _psionic_ attacks,” Gran gently told Buzz Buzz. Buzz Buzz’s eyes went wide with panic.

The Room 11 Pigmask fired a laser at Tori just as she was about to get up, knocking her down again and leaving her dangerously close to falling unconscious. Gran got to her side as quickly as she could and cast Lifeup on her. Tori was back on her feet, and she cast PK Fire yet _again._ The Room 11 Pigmask was no longer angered by this, just disappointed. He then fired another shot at Tori, and hit. Tori PK Fire’d once more, and the Room 11 Pigmask was starting to get weak. But he had one more trick - he pulled out a bomb from his belt and threw it at Tori - the explosion caused Tori to take a lot of damage, Gran took a little as well, and a hole opened up in the floor that Tori nearly fell into.

Things were looking tight - just one more hit from any of the Room 11 Pigmask’s attacks and Tori was done for. And while Gran could fight the Pigmask, she hadn’t thus far, and didn’t seem willing too. Buzz Buzz would fight too, if he weren’t a bug.

Suddenly, the door burst open, gaining everyone’s eyes on the new entrant. It was Leicra, and already they were charging up a PK Beam. The beam fired, hitting the Room 11 Pigmask, who then flopped to the floor.

“Are you all okay?” Leicra asked, visibly worried.

Tori nodded, giving them a feeble thumbs up.

“Well, we’re alive,” Buzz Buzz said to them. He raised an eyebrow as he asked, “What brings you, though? It didn’t seem like you were going to go anywhere outside of Autumns.”

“Oh, the Apple told me to go!” Leicra replied.

Buzz Buzz, Tori and Gran exchanged worried glances.

“It is good I found you when I did, isn’t it?”

Everyone else nodded.

Gran cast another Lifeup on Tori and helped her sit back up on the bed.

“So why are you all here?” Leicra asked.

“We’re looking for a way to Dalaam,” Gran explained, “but we haven’t found one yet.”

Leicra’s face lit up as they said, “I did see a strange machine on my way here! I will lead you there.”

With that, Leicra left the room, and Buzz Buzz, Tori and Gran followed. They were led down the footpath and up onto the outskirts of Toto. It was only a minute or two until Leicra stopped in front of a large hunk of metal, vaguely shaped like a pad of sorts.

Leicra poked it twice then told the other three, “I’m not sure what it’s supposed to do, nor do I know how to fix it.”

There was a brief moment of silence before Buzz Buzz commented, “I would be able to make an attempt at fixing it, if I weren’t so small…”

“I’ve only handled biological components,” Tori added.

“I can fix it!” Gran chirped. Tori and Buzz Buzz looked at wide eyed, and Leicra looked up from the metal thing with a hint of curiosity.

Leicra took a couple of steps back as Gran approached the hunk of metal. She kneeled down (however a Shambler did that) and looked it over for a few moments. She then picked it up and put it on its side, and started fiddling around. Even without a toolbox of any kind, Gran made do. None of the other three were quite sure _how_ she did it with a pair of noodle arms, but, regardless, she managed to fix the hunk of metal within a couple of hours.

Gran set the newly fixed thing on the ground, and gave the top a little tap. The top sprang up a considerable amount and wobbled before settling back down.

“So it’s… ...What is it supposed to do?” Leicra asked.

“If we jump on it, it should be able to get us to Dalaam!” Gran explained.

“What if we miss?”

Gran was silent. “...Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.”

“Wait, are you _sure_ this is safe?” Tori asked. “I don’t question your skills, of course, but uh… Is it gonna be able to handle our weight?”

“It should! This metal is quite durable,” Gran reassured her.

Buzz Buzz had been sitting on Tori’s shoulder for a while now, and started gripping onto her uniform. Tori felt it, and asked Buzz Buzz, “You okay, Buzz Buzz?”

“Just… the thought of going through the air… _that fast…_ ”

“Aww, Buzz Buzz, it’s okay! You can just stay in my pock-” Tori was cut off when she realised that Buzz Buzz already _was_ in her pocket.

“Oh, wait, Buzz Buzz? The stone’s in there, right?”

“Yeah,” Buzz Buzz replied, then buzzed out of Tori’s pocket to give the stone to her. He immediately went back into the pocket.

“Hey Leicra!” Tori called out to Leicra, grabbing their attention. Tori held up the stone and asked them, “I don’t suppose you know what kind of stone this is?”

Leicra wandered up to Tori and took a long look at the tiny stone she held.

“No, I can’t say I do. Sorry,” Leicra apologised.

“It’s fine, don’t worry!” Tori reassured them, gently placing the stone back into her pocket. “None of us have any idea what it is either, so it’s something in common!”  
  
Leicra’s face lightened up a bit upon hearing that.

“Are we all ready?” Gran asked the other three.

Leicra nodded.

“Yup!” Tori replied.

“No,” Buzz Buzz whined from Tori’s pocket.

Gran stepped onto the springpad and was shot into the sky. Leicra and Tori watched her zoom away wide eyed.

“Ooh, on second thought, maybe I’m not ready,” Tori murmured.

Leicra looked over at Tori and asked her, “Is she going to be okay?”

“I hope so,” Tori replied.

Leicra then warily stepped onto the springpad and was shot into the air before their second foot was properly on the pad.

Tori watched as Leicra become smaller and smaller, then asked Buzz Buzz, “You holding tight?”

“Of course,” Buzz Buzz wailed.

Tori hopped onto the springpad, and she let out a shriek as the springpad launched her into the air.


	9. Stone's Purpose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Variant Four make it to Dalaam! And fortunately, no one is hurt. We also find out more about the stone!

When you’re sent flying through the air, your expectation is that you go splat on the ground, and whether you live or not isn’t quite what you’re focusing on. It’s the going splat part. You brace yourself for the splat. The last thing you expect is having your entire body surrounded by a strange magic, which gently carries you to solid ground. Yet, that was exactly what happened to Tori.

Tori stood completely still, wide eyed for a few moments, first trying to process what just happened. She was flung through the sky by a springpad that Gran had fixed, the flight, if she could even call it that, lasted for what seemed like a solid minute, and instead of landing hard, something had pulled her in and got her to land safely on the ground.

Assuming she had landed in Dalaam, it was in pretty good shape. The darkness couldn’t be escaped even up here, but ignoring that, the land seemed to be in near perfect shape. She had landed near a house with a straw roof that had been partially torn, and the door was missing. The remaining grass seemed to be taken care off, and some of it seemed to growing back. Gran and Leicra were standing nearby, and they were okay, too, and-

“OH MY GOD WHAT _IS_ THAT,” Tori yelled, flinching back upon sight of the other person present.

It had the head of a human, and it even had hoop earrings, but its snake-like body and floating hands made said human resemblance terrifying. In its hands was a silver flute, and it looked up at Tori with a mostly blank face, the only expression Tori could discern being curiosity.

“It’s a Tangoo!” Gran told Tori.

Buzz Buzz peered out of Tori’s pocket. He flinched upon seeing the Tangoo as well, though his reaction was nowhere near as dramatic as Tori’s.

“So did it bring us to the ground safely?” Buzz Buzz asked Gran.

Gran smiled (in a way) as she replied, “It did!”

“I am guessing that after human life was extinguished here, the Tangoos became the dominant inhabitants of Dalaam,” Leicra stated.

The Tangoo nodded at them, and played a short tune on its flute as a reply.

Tori frowned with confusion, then said, “What was that? I don’t speak flute.”

The Tangoo looked over at Tori for a moment, then repeated the tune. Tori still had no idea what the Tangoo was supposed to be saying.

“Don’t worry, I don’t know what it’s saying either,” Gran reassured her.

The Tangoo whistled out another tune through its flute, a cheerful one, then made its way up the hill. Gran took the lead, following the Tangoo, and the other followed.

More Tangoos were ambling around Dalaam. Some played (assumably) their greetings to the Tangoo that brought the four to Dalaam safely. The four passed by another house, then as they reached the top of the mainland of Dalaam, they arrived in front of a palace. The palace was coated in gold, and two elephant statues sat on both sides of the entrance. The Tangoo who led them up held its flute to play something, but paused and thought for a moment. It lowered its flute and then gestured for them to follow it inside.

The inside of the palace was absolutely stunning, and the four couldn’t help but look around the gold-coated hall with wonder. The silky red carpet led them to the throne room, which was also covered floor to ceiling with gold. Hovering above the throne were two spirit-like entities, one gold and the other silver, intertwined in each other. The silver one had a round face, a large nose, a feathery beard and held a large leaf, while the gold one had a long face and with two black horns at the top of its head. It held a bolt of lightning and was much skinnier than the silver one. The entities other hands were held in the other’s.

The Tangoo played a tune to them, and the silver one told the Tangoo, “Thank you. You are dismissed.”

The Tangoo then left the throne room, and the four watched. They then looked back at the two entities, and Tori asked, “You can understand flute?”

The gold one gave her a look, and the silver one told her, “Yes, we can understand Tangoonian. That’s what it is called.”

“Oh. Okay.” Tori gave the silver one a thumbs up.

“Right. And why is there a…?” the gold one asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Thunder, we cannot judge these people immediately,” the silver one sternly told the gold one, Thunder.

The silver one turned his attention to the four and said to them, “Apologies. I am Storm, and my twin is Thunder.”

Thunder waved at them with his empty hand.

“So what brings you here?” Storm asked.

Tori opened her mouth, then hesitated. She glanced down at the floor in thought.

“We’re looking for some guidance on where to go next,” Buzz Buzz told them. He dived down into Tori’s pocket and come back out holding the stone. “I don’t suppose you know what kind of stone this is?”

Storm held his leaf-holding hand to his chin for a moment as he hummed with thought, then asked Buzz Buzz, “Could you bring it closer?”

Buzz Buzz buzzed out of Tori’s pocket and up to Thunder and Storm, then held the stone up for them. Thunder and Storm’s faces lit up with shock immediately.

Thunder asked, “Where did you get this…?”

“From a kraken,” Tori told him. “It was stuck under one of its quills.”

Thunder was silent for a moment as he processed the story, then looked back to the stone.

“What you found… is the Sound Stone,” Storm told the four.

“It’s used to absorb the power of the eight Sanctuaries - or at least, it was _supposed_ to…” Thunder added.

“Would I be correct in assuming only the chosen one can absorb the power of these ‘Sanctuaries’?” Leicra asked Thunder and Storm.

“You would be,” Thunder nodded.

“But you must hold onto it and keep it safe for now - when the time comes, one of you must deliver it to the chosen one,” Storm told the four.

Buzz Buzz buzzed back over to Tori and handed the Sound Stone to her, and Tori put it back in her pocket.

“But although the Sound Stone is used to absorb the power of the Sanctuaries, it cannot unless it has registered these places exist,” Thunder explained. “So we ask you to charge up the Sound Stone for the chosen one.”

“Of course!” Tori said.

“Thank you,” Storm softly replied. “There is a Sanctuary nearby - we will lead you to it.”

With that, Thunder and Storm rose and flew out of the palace. The four ran after them, and were led down the hilly path of Dalaam to a cave entrance guarded by three giant rabbits. Buzz Buzz perched on Tori’s shoulder once they arrived.

“Ugh, the statues are still there. How did we not think of that?” Thunder complained.

“Worry not, we can get them to move,” Storm told his twin.

Storm tapped the frontmost bunny statue’s shoulder and murmured, “Excuse us, but could you and your friends move out of the way, please?”

The bunny statue glared at Thunder and Storm. It didn’t seem like it was going to move so easily.

“Please, this is very important. If you don’t, the darkness may never go away!”

The bunny statue looked to the side and squinted in thought for a few moments. It looked as if it sighed, then shuffled to the side. The bunny statues behind it then followed, wide eyed. They seemed to converse with each other, though no noise came from them.

Thunder and Storm turned back to face the four, and Thunder told them, “There. Now you should be able to go through and find the Sanctuary. You’ll know it when you find it.”

“And once you’ve charged the Sound Stone there, jump off the edge of it,” Storm instructed them.

“WHAT,” Tori screeched. “I thought you wanted us to charge the Sound Stone! If we jump off the edge of the Sanctuary, we’ll _die,_ and that’s the exact OPPOSITE of charging the Sound Stone and saving the world!”

“Trust us, you will not die if you do,” Storm told her, his features hardening.

“How are you so sure…?” Leicra asked, frowning with concern.

“Just… trust us.”

“Alright, whatever you say,” Tori sighed. She led Gran and Leicra into the Sanctuary’s entrance, saying to Thunder and Storm, “But thank youuu!”

“You’re welcome!” Thunder replied, waving.

The Sanctuary’s entrance was a cave. A very long cave, and to the side was a rope.

“So do we go up there?” Tori called out to Thunder and Storm, pointing at the rope. There was no reply.

“They may have already left,” Gran told her.

“Yeah, that’s fair,” Tori mumbled.

Tori went up to the rope and started to climb up it, only to get shot down by a bolt of lightning. Buzz Buzz darted off Tori’s shoulder as she fell to the ground, which wasn’t actually that far of a fall, but still.

“Are you okay?” Buzz Buzz asked her.

“What the hell?!” Tori yelled, throwing her hands up in the air.

Thunder and Storm poked their heads in, then Storm said, “Oh, are they still in there? Sorry. We forgot.”

“Can’t you do something to like, make them go away?” Tori asked them, not moving an inch.”

“We could,” Thunder replied.

“But we think that it would be better to leave them be. You’re going to need experience if you’re to fully charge the Sound Stone,” Storm added.

Thunder and Storm then left. Tori heaved out a sigh, then picked herself back up.

“Alright. Let’s see who shot me with that lightning,” she muttered.

A skeleton with blue-purple electricity surrounding its entire body peered over the cliff, a cheeky grin plastered on its face. Leicra wasted no time in firing a PK Beam at it, hitting it square in the face. The skeleton didn’t look fazed in the slightest. It shot another lightning bolt at the four, hitting Tori again.

“Hey! What’s your problem?!” Tori shouted at it. The skeleton just chuckled to itself.

Tori turned to Gran and Leicra and asked them, “Do either of you know what the hell this thing is because I hate it.”

“It’s a Conducting Menace!” Gran replied. “It knows up to the Beta levels of PK Thunder and PK Flash.”

Tori gritted her teeth as she looked back at the Conducting Menace. Tori shot a PK Fire at it, burning it, and Leicra added in another PK Beam. The Conducting Menace slowly raised a hand, paused for a moment as it looked down on the four with an empty smile, then snapped its fingers. A bright flash filled the cave for a moment, and when it was gone, the side effects kicked in. Tori and Gran had started crying uncontrollably, though Leicra seemed free of any side effects. Buzz Buzz let out a groan.

Tori looked over at Buzz Buzz with waterlogged eyes, and through wiping them, she asked, “What’s up?”

“I forgot to use PSI Shield.”

“Can’t you just make one now?” Tori asked, then sniffled.

“I can’t. I’ve gone numb.”

“You’re joking.”

The Conducting Menace shot another PK Thunder, which this time hit Leicra.

“No. The Conducting Menace just used PK Flash Beta, and now I’m numb. The crying is one of the more common side effects.”

Leicra shot another PK Beam at the Conducting Menace. Tori, through her tears, fired another PK Fire at the Conducting Menace.

“Gran, are you going to do something?” Leicra asked the Shambler.

“I think I’ll…” she wiped her upper eye, then finished, “I think I’ll wait until I’ve stopped crying.”

Leicra then returned their attention to the Conducting Menace and shot another PK Beam at it. The Conducting Menace just stayed there, smiling. Tori fired another PK Fire at it, and then the electricity around it disappeared, and its bones fell to the ground.

Tori wiped her eyes, the last of the tears flowing, then muttered, “Thank God.”

She climbed up the rope, and Gran and Leicra followed. Leicra opted to just teleport to the top instead of climb the rope.

“Gran, what levels of Healing do you know?” Buzz Buzz asked as Tori, Gran and Leicra continued walking through the caves.

“Alpha and Beta currently. You’re numb, aren’t you?” Gran replied.

“...Yes. And… neither of those levels can heal numbness.”

“Then what will we do?” Leicra asked.

“Wait, I suppose,” Buzz Buzz replied.

The four continued through the caves, beating enemies as they went, until finally, they made it to the Sanctuary. A large pink cloud floated before them, and a tuft of it swirled up higher than the rest. Tori bit her lip nervously and tapped the cloud with a boot. The cloud simply bounced back up, and no damage was done to the physical integrity of it. Relieved, Tori walked onto the cloud, Gran and Leicra behind her.

Tori fished out the Sound Stone from her pocket and held it up. The Sound Stone glowed for just a moment, and then a name was whispered into everyone’s minds: Pink Cloud.

“Is… Was that name that I just heard the name of this place? Pink Cloud?” Buzz Buzz wondered aloud.

“You’re not the only one who heard it - I heard it too.” Tori looked over to Gran and Leicra and asked them, “Did you hear that name just now?”

They both nodded.

“So now that we’ve charged the Sound Stone here… We need to jump off Pink Cloud, right?” Gran asked.

“That’d be it, but…” Tori edged up to the edge of Pink Cloud and whined, “It looks scarier than how we got up.”

Gran and Leicra came to Tori’s side to peer over the edge of Pink Cloud, the same fear filling their eyes as Tori’s.

“But Thunder and Storm said we would be okay…” Leicra murmured. “So…”

Leicra stepped off the edge of Pink Cloud and let themself fall, their eye squeezed tight shut. Tori involintarily screamed.

“I’m not sure this will work, Buzz Buzz, but I’m going to try Healing Beta and see if that frees up any movement, okay?” Gran told Buzz Buzz.

“Please do, it’s better than nothing.”

Gran placed the tip of her noodle hand as gently on Buzz Buzz as possible, and PSI energy flowed from it into the bug. Once Gran lifted her hand, Buzz Buzz gingerly tested his wings.

“It seems that there’s more feeling in my wings than anywhere else, but I’ll take it as a good thing,” Buzz Buzz told Gran. He then lifted himself off Tori’s shoulder and told her, “I’ll go last. I don’t want anyone accidentally squashing me or anything.”

Gran nodded with understanding, then hopped off the edge of Pink Cloud with her eyes shut and her arms wrapped around her. Tori bit her lip as she watched.

She then looked up at Buzz Buzz and asked, “Do you _have_ to go last?”

Buzz Buzz’s eyebrows curled with slight worry. “Tori, please.”

Tori slumped her shoulders as she moaned, “Okayyyyy. But first-” Tori grabbed the Sound Stone and handed it to Buzz Buzz, who grasped it with all four hands.

“I don’t want it getting lost,” Tori said.

Buzz Buzz nodded. Tori then jumped off the edge of Pink Cloud, screaming as she went. Buzz Buzz’s eyes went wide, and he quickly darted down after her.


	10. Portside Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Variant Four make it back to Summers, and then head off to their next destination!

Tori recognised this place. It was the pig field, the place where Leicra had contacted her while she was in Autumns. The pigs payed no mind to her, casually snuffling about in the grass. Thankfully they knew when they were getting too close to the edge of the field and turned themselves back around. They looked so out of place here. And thankfully, there was no mech yet. She didn’t like the mech.

All was quiet in the small field. The wind rustled the grass. And then, a lurch. Tori looked around wide eyed. Was it the mech? Was the mech back? A deep whirring then filled the air, and the sky around her began to move. The mech wasn’t here, fortunately.

The midday sky went through shades of orange, then red, then purple, until it became night time. The stars slowly flickered into view, and it even gained the pigs’ attention. Tori and the pigs watched the stars, tuning out the whirring. It seemed like a few minutes later until a loud **clank** dragged her attention away from the stars. She looked around wide eyed, failing to find the source of the clank. But in the distance, she saw something. It was hard to make out what it was, but it was there. It was so close, and yet, so, so far away. She could even hear it from the small field. She could hear a tune playing faintly from it, and its name…

Its name… Its name was-

* * *

 Tori woke up hacking. Oh God, she had swallowed some water. No wonder her mouth burned with the taste of sea salt.

“Not _that_ hard!” Buzz Buzz wailed to Leicra, who was sitting beside her.

Tori looked around in a daze, trying to gather her bearings. Everyone was on a beach? How did they get here? She glanced up at Leicra, who- wait.

“Leicra…? Why are you wearing Gran’s hat?”

“Gran’s currently drying herself and her clothes out as much as she can. She asked me to look after her bobble hat, and then put it on my head.” They then looked up at the pink bobble hat, their eye softening with comfort, and said, “I like it. But I will give it back to her once she needs it.”

Gran looked up from her vest, which she was currently wringing out, then told Leicra, “You can keep it if you want. I don’t mind.”

Leicra’s eye went wide, and they replied, “Oh, no, I couldn’t! It’s yours, I wouldn’t want to take it away from you.”

“Well, if you don’t want to have it now, that’s fine,” Gran replied. “But if you ever do, don’t be afraid to ask.”

As Tori burst into another coughing fit and hacked up some more water, she figured out why she and everyone else were on a beach. They had charged the Sound Stone at Pink Cloud, and then they jumped off it, just like Thunder and Storm had told them to.

After one last cough, Tori hurriedly asked, “Buzz Buzz, is the Sound Stone okay?”

“Right here,” Buzz Buzz reassured her, holding up the Sound Stone, all four hands holding it.

Tori let out a sigh of relief, then another couple of coughs.

“Ugh, is there anything to eat around here? Like, at all?” Tori questioned.

“Are you hungry?” Leicra asked.

“Na, it’s just that the taste of saltwater is _killing_ me,” Tori groaned.

“It is?! How do I make it stop killing you?!” Leicra exclaimed.

“Ah- No, Leicra, it’s a figure of speech!” Buzz Buzz told them.

Leicra looked up at him for a moment or two before asking, “Oh. So Tori is not actually dying?”

Buzz Buzz nodded.

“That’s a relief. Human speech patterns are so confusing!” Leicra said.

Gran put her vest back on and said, “I’m all ready now!”

With a quiet, “Oh!” Leicra scrambled to their feet and rushed over to Gran, then took off her bobble hat and handed it back to her. Gran put the hat back on her head, then she and Leicra wandered over to Tori and Buzz Buzz.

Tori had gotten to her feet, albeit a bit clumsily, then dusted the sand off herself. Only now did she notice just how _soaking wet_ she was. From head to toe, she was drenched in water. It didn’t come as much surprise - she was just mildly annoyed at it.

“Right, well, I’m ready to go,” Tori said.

“So we’re off! ...Where, exactly?” Buzz Buzz asked.

Leicra looked over at Gran, who had blanked. Tori had done the same. Gran soon lit up with an idea.

“There’s a port town nearby, we could go there!” Gran suggested.

“Sure, not like we have much else to do,” Tori said with a shrug.

Without further delay, the four headed to the port town. Navigating the torn-up footpath again was hard, but manageable.

“Hey Leicra,” Tori said to the Starman, gaining their attention as they stepped around a spike in the path, “the Pigmask that attacked us in the hotel mentioned it; do you know anything about a rebel Starman captain? You seem like the right person to ask.”

“Oh, you mean Captain Zeta? Yes, I’ve heard of him! Though I never met him,” Leicra replied. “It wasn’t any of my business to meet him anyway. I did hear that he got a lot of human captives out of the base he was taken to, but no more than that in recent news.”

There was a silence as the four continued making their way to the port town.

“I do know more about the old captain, if you would like to know, Tori,” Leicra said.

“You do?” Tori gasped, looking at Leicra from over her shoulder. “Please tell me.”

Leicra quickened their pace so they walked beside Tori, then began, “Captain Zeta joined Giygas at the start of the 199X invasion, and he helped conquer the Earth. And when Giygas’ second-in-command rebelled, he helped us. He fought him, and he won, and none of us Starmen had to go with him.” Leicra paused. “I’m not sure what made Captain Zeta rebel himself, though. But I’m sure he had a good reason.”

There was another silence, this one uncomfortable, before Buzz Buzz piped up, “I think the Sound Stone changed colour.” He then held up the Sound Stone for Tori and Leicra to see.

“...It did?” Tori questioned.

“A little bit - it went kind of blue,” Buzz Buzz told her.

“Ohhhh, I see it now!”

By now, the four were in the port town, and Gran had taken the lead. She led the others down to a dock, and waited.

There was a breeze that blew past them, which soon became a strong wind. From seemingly nowhere, a pirate ship sailed into view. It anchored at the dock, and a white ghost wearing a classic pirate captain hat and cloak dived down from the ship and hovered above the dock.

“Yar har! Amie, ‘s been a long time since I’ve seen ya!” the ghost captain greeted, a wide smile on his face. “How ‘ave ya been?”

“I’ve been just fine, thank you!” Gran replied, smiling with her eyes.

“Arr, ‘s good t’ hear. And who might these strapping young ‘n’s behind ya be?” the captain asked, looking over at Tori, Buzz Buzz and Leicra.

“Oh, they’re my new friends!” Gran told him. She pointed at each of them as she said, “That’s Tori, the little bug is Buzz Buzz, and that’s Leicra!”

“Arr, ’s good t’ meet ya!” The ghost captain held out his hand, studded with nubbly fingers, and told the other three, “Th’ name’s Cap’n Casey. It be a pleasure to meet ya.”

Tori just stared at Captain Casey’s hand before telling him, “...You’re a ghost.”

Captain Casey’s eyes narrowed. “Aye, I am. What of it?”

“I can’t… shake your hand. Because you’re incorporeal,” Tori told him.

“Oh. Apologies!” He then darted back to his original spot on the deck and told the four, “Th’ crew ‘n’ I are just about t’ head out. We can take ya to a place you’ll want t’ go.”

Tori, Buzz Buzz and Leicra exchanged glances, and Gran replied, “Of course!”

“ARRRR! That be what I like t’ hear!” Captain Casey cheered. “Then we’ve got not a moment t’ waste! Aboard the Bellyflop we go!”

Captain Casey then darted back onto the ship, then lowered the gangplank. Gran cheerfully boarded the Bellyflop, and Tori, Buzz Buzz and Leicra followed her on. Tori gave Buzz Buzz a look of distrust, which Buzz Buzz just replied to with a shrug.

Once all of the four were on, Captain Casey hollered, “RAISE THE ANCHOR!”

The anchor was raised, like Captain Casey had ordered.

“LOWER THE SAILS!”

Two sails fluttered down from the mast, and began billowing in a breeze from nowhere.

“LET’S SET SAIL!”

The breeze became a gust, and it propelled the Bellyflop forward on the sea.

“Um, Cah… Cap-nnnn?” Leicra asked, trying her best to emulate the Captain’s speech.

Captain Casey looked over to them, and asked, “What be on ya mind?”

“What kind of crew members do you have?”

A wide grin appeared on Captain Casey’s face. “All sorts! Mooks, Moldymen, an assortment of bugs - Ya name it, we got one on board!”

Leicra’s eye went wide as they asked, “Starmen?!”

“Ya kiddin’? Ransom’s me first mate!”

“And they’re all ghosts?” Buzz Buzz asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Wouldn’t be a ghost ship if they weren’t!” Captain Casey cheered.

A Ghost of Starman wearing a sailor’s hat and an old flag tied around his chest came out of a door nearby, and asked, “Captain? What’s going on up here?”

A lime green Mook near one of the cannons called out, “Amie’s back! And she brought guests.”

The Ghost of Starman frowned at the Mook, and told him, “I was asking the _captain._ ”

The Ghost of Starman then approached the four and Captain Casey and asked the latter, “Captain, who might these people with Amienafleece be?”

“They be her new friends!” Captain Casey grinned. “The human’s Tori, the bug be Buzz Buzz, and the Starman be Leicra!”

“I see! Well, welcome aboard the Bellyflop.” Placing a hand to his chest, the Ghost of Starman introduced, “I am First Mate Ransom. But you can just call me Ransom.”

“Hi Ransom!” Tori greeted with a wave.

Leicra was silent, looking at Ransom wide eyed, as if he were a celebrity.

Ransom took notice, and asked them, “Would you like me to show you around?”

Leicra nodded excitedly.

“Then follow me,” Ransom told them with a wave of his hand. Leicra wasted no time in following him through the door he had come onto the deck through.

“Gran? Just how long have you know Captain Casey?” Buzz Buzz asked, buzzing over to the Shambler.

“Oh, since about the 1850’s,” Gran casually replied.

Tori sputtered, then echoed, “THE _1850’S?!_ ”

“I’ve been around since the 1800’s, Tori,” Gran told her. This only prompted more sputtering from her.

“We ‘aven’t talked since _at least_ the 1900’s!” Captain Casey added. “We gained quite a few crew members since then, ‘specially after that attack back in 198X.”

“I’m not one of ‘em!” the Mook near one of the cannons called out.

“I know, Mallory,” Gran replied.

A loud growl filled the air for a second.

“Sounds like _someone’s_ hungry,” Mallory remarked.

Tori let out an awkward laugh, then quietly said, “That’d be me.”

“Let’s go get ya somethin’ t’ eat, shall we?” Captain Casey suggested, then floated off to a door.

Buzz Buzz landed on Tori’s shoulder as she and Gran followed Captain Casey and handed the Sound Stone back to her, and Tori put it back in her pocket. Captain Casey led them down into the kitchen, where a wooden puppet worked at a bench.

The puppet glanced at the them, then screeched, “It’s PRETTY BOY TODD, not Handsome Tom, y’hear?!”

There was a moment of stunned silence before Captain Casey muttered to the three, “He… be a little touchy ‘bout that.”

Captain Casey then went over to Pretty Boy Todd and quietly told him, “I just be here to get one o’ these landlubbers somethin’ t’ eat. Ya wouldn’t happen t’ ‘ave anythin’ a corporeal could eat?”

“Yeah, I got bread dough,” Pretty Boy Todd replied. “That’s it, though.”

Captain Casey’s eyebrows arched, then he looked over his shoulder at Tori and asked her, “Are you okay with bread dough?”

“Better than nothing!” Tori replied.

“Cewl,” Pretty Boy Todd said. “I’ve just ‘bout got dinner ready for the crew, so the landlubbin’ corporeal can ‘ave it with us.”

As much as Tori, Buzz Buzz and Gran would have liked to watch Pretty Boy Todd work his magic in the kitchen, he demanded that he be left to work in peace, so Captain Casey showed them around the rest of the Bellyflop. The cabins were packed with shipmates - there was an intense game of Gin Rummy going on between one of the oldest Mooks and a Putrid Moldyman, and the rest of the crew were in their bunks and cheering at the top of their lungs. They ended up staying and watching by the crew’s request, and it was tight, but the Moldyman managed to scrape out a win. Dinner was ready soon after that, and everyone rushed into the kitchen to dine. Pretty Boy Todd handed Tori her bread dough, and she gladly ate it up. There wasn’t much organization - once somebody had finished their fill, they just got up and left, or waited for a friend, _then_ got up and left. Captain Casey didn’t seem to mind, though. Once everyone was done and had left the hall, Ransom came into the hall, and Leicra rushed in with him, a look of sheer joy on their face.

“Tori! Buzz Buzz! Gran! Look at the bandana Ransom let me have!” Leicra gushed, holding their hands to the swampy green bandana that was now tied around the base of their head. Said bandana had a single dull yellow on it.

“That’s so cool!” Tori gasped.

“I know!” Leicra replied.

Leicra did a little happy dance while Ransom told everyone, “I believe that it is starting to get late. The rest of you should get some rest.”

As if to prove Ransom’s point, Buzz Buzz let out a small yawn.

“Yeah, I think it’s about time we got some rest,” Tori said.

“I’ll lead you to the cabins!” Gran told her, Buzz Buzz and Leicra. “We might be able to get one if we hurry, and if not, I should be able to convince one of the shipmates to give up theirs for the night.”

Gran then headed off to the cabins, and Tori and Leicra, the latter giving Ransom a small wave goodbye.

* * *

 It was the early hours of morning when the Bellyflop anchored again. Captain Casey woke everyone up, and most of the shipmates were still drowsy, but got up anyway. There was no dock where the Bellyflop had weighed anchor, but none of the crew really seemed to pay mind. The ship had anchored on the outskirts of what once must have been a bustling city, but was now abandoned, evident by the broken towers.

“Well, we made it to th’ place I said you’ll wantin’ to go to,” Captain Casey told the four. “Be on the lookout of a magnetic mountain o’ sorts. It be ‘round these parts.”

“Thank you, Captain. We’ll be sure to look for it,” Gran smiled.

One of the Mooks lowered the gangplank, and Tori, Gran and Leicra walked off the Bellyflop and onto the dry grass of the abandoned city. The same Mook brought the gangplank back aboard, and the rest of the crew gathered to wave goodbye to the four as the anchor was pulled up.

As the Bellyflop sailed away, Leicra called out, “Bye Mr. Ransom!”

Though the ship was a bit further away now, it was still easy to tell that Ransom’s face lit up with delight. Everyone kept waving until the Bellyflop faded away, back into nowhere.


	11. Magnets and Monkeys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Variant Four find this “magnetic mountain” then head out on a search for the rest of the Sanctuaries!

“Gran, I have to ask - how on Earth did you end up being friends with a ghost pirate?”

Everyone else was confused about the whole situation, but Tori was the only one who had the guts to ask.

The four were now walking the streets of the abandoned city, stepping out of the way of rubble.

“Well, it was back in the 1850’s- Did I already tell you that?”

Tori nodded. “But continue.”

“Well, it was in the 1850’s. I had been sent to Earth to get some specific parts for my crew’s spaceship-”

“You worked on a _spaceship?!_ ” Leicra gasped, spinning around to face the elderly Shambler.

“Yes, I did,” Gran chuckled. “I was the crew’s mechanic.”

“Ohhh, _that’s_ why you’re so good with machinery and things!” Tori said.

“Yes. Now, as I was saying, I had been sent to Earth to get some specific parts for my crew’s spaceship. I got the parts I needed, but neither the crew or myself thought of a way to get me back aboard once I got the parts. That’s when I met Casey! He let me on board for a while and helped me find my crew! The Bellyflop crew was a lot smaller back then…”

What looked to have formerly been the tallest tower in the city had fallen onto the road, blocking it off. The four could very easily pass by on their search for the “magnetic mountain” Captain Casey told them of, but they all knew they it had to be moved out of the way, somehow. Sheer strength wasn’t going to move it, and an attempt to use telekinesis to move it from Tori ended in failure.

“I’m not sure if this will work, but I want to try something,” Leicra said after some thought. “Ransom also taught me this PSI technique while I was with him.”

Leicra focused, and a ball of water appeared in between their hands. It dropped to the ground, and Leicra raised their arms. The water spread out and became a wave, rising with Leicra’s arms. Leicra squinted as they focused more, and directed the wave to slide underneath the fallen building and raise it. It worked for a little while, but the wave started to fall once the building was raised enough to walk under it. Quickly thinking, Gran cast PK Freeze on the wave, which froze it and part of the building.

Tori stared at the now held-up building with wide eyes before spinning to face Leicra.

“That’s so cool! What’s it called?” she asked.

“It’s… just called PK Water,” Leicra replied. “I only know the Alpha level, but maybe if I use it enough, I can learn other stages of it!”

“I sure hope you can, that was AWESOME!” Tori replied, a wide grin on her face.

Looking over at the held-up building, Buzz Buzz stated, “I’m not sure how long that building will stay up, but it’s the least we can do for now. Let’s keep looking for that mountain.”

The four then returned to walking the street, until they found a brick wall to the south the tower. It wasn’t too tall, and Leicra was almost as tall as it.

Leicra went right up to the wall, got up on their tiptoes and peered over the edge of the wall. They then dropped back to their feet and turned to face Tori, Buzz Buzz and Gran.

“It looks like the “magnetic mountain” Cap-nnn Casey told us to find is on the other side of this wall,” they told them.

“I bet I could climb over that thing,” Tori said.

“Well you can try if you want to,” Buzz Buzz told her.

Tori hissed out a “Yesss!”, then took a running start up to the wall. She jumped and clung to the top of the wall. Her boots scraped the wall frantically as she tried to get up the wall. She made it up to the top, and took a moment before slipping down to the other side of the wall.

“Ta-daaaa!” she called out. “Told you I could do it!”

“I didn’t doubt you,” Buzz Buzz replied. He then darted over the wall and landed on Tori’s shoulder.

It took a little while for Gran to get over the wall, with Leicra acting as a step and Tori having to help her over. Once Gran had hopped over the wall, Leicra simply teleported to the other side of the wall. With everyone on the other side of the wall, the four took a closer look at the what was there.

“That’s… the mountain, right?” Leicra asked, looking at the small, grey, vaguely mountain-shaped metal sitting in the middle of the dry grass. It seemed too precisely cut to look much like a mountain, but the lighter part at the top helped enforce that it _was_ supposed to be a mountain.

“It’s… a bit small…” Buzz Buzz murmured.

“It’s more like a hill.” Tori stared at it for another moment before grabbing the Sound Stone from out of her pocket and holding it up.

The Sound Stone glowed for a moment before a name was whispered into the four’s minds: Magnet Hill.

“You were right about it being a hill, Tori,” Gran told her.

“Well what kind of mountain is shorter than me?” Tori asked, gesturing at Magnet Hill as she put the Sound Stone in her pocket.

Once everyone had climbed back over the wall, they headed out of the city to search for the rest of the Sanctuaries. They went through the empty tunnels, Tori having to light them up with PK Fire, and across the dangerously damaged bridge. They arrived in a desert, perhaps the darkest place they had been to so far. And it was _scorching._ The four decided to stick to the road - they reasoned that if they ventured into the desert they probably wouldn’t make it out alive. The road was long. Painfully long.

As the four staggered past an abandoned store, a monkey bounced over to them. Said monkey seemed very frail, its fur lacking shine and sporting a grey beard. To be honest, I don’t know how the monkey got the beard, but don’t question it, okay? It’s for the best.

“It’s been a long time since anyone’s come this way…” the monkey murmured, probably to itself.

Tori’s eyes went wide. “The monkey’s talking?!”

The monkey looked up at Tori with weary eyes. “Yes, I am talking your human language. I would just use telepathy in tandem with monkey language, but that requires a lot of effort that I simply do not have the energy to perform.” The monkey turned to the side, and told the four, “Please, come with me. There are techniques that will help you on your quest that you can learn from our master.”

The monkey bounced into the desert and down a hole nearby the abandoned store.

“How does the monkey know we’re on a quest…?” Tori whispered to Buzz Buzz.

“I have no idea. Monkeys are weird creatures.”

The four followed the monkey down into a network of caves. There were more monkeys in the cave network, which the bearded monkey explained were also followers of their master. The other monkeys simply watched as the four squeezed through the tunnels that connected each cave. Finally, they were led into the deepest cave. An elderly man with a grey beard, wearing all white, hovered above the ground, meditating. He opened an eye and glanced to the entrance.

“You brought them?” he asked.

“Yes, Master Talah Rama,” the bearded monkey replied with a bow.

The monkey went to Talah Ramma’s side, and the four squeezed into the cave. Talah Rama watched as they tentatively approached him.

Talah Rama flashed them a smile, before taking a breath in as he closed his eyes. “The truth of space and time moves through like a wave… Truth speaks through space and matter makes itself known to human beings. Although you are no the chosen ones, I was waiting for you as well, and you came. It may not have been on destiny’s original course, but it was to happen. In truth, all is predetermined…”

“Then how was Giygas able to conquer the earth, if the chosen four were meant to stop him from doing so was predetermined like you say?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“They were unable to even start without the light’s guidance…” Talah Rama answered. His voice lowered to a mere whisper as he stated, “Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo… when these four powers gather, twisted space will bring back peace to the world.”

“Just how do you know all this?” Tori questioned, putting her hands on her hips. “I know meditation is supposed to help you see things more clearly or something, but this is insane!”

“It is not insane, it is prophecy. My meditation allows me to reach out to my guide, the one who gives all knowledge of the future. And then, my guide shares it with me,” Talah Rama explained. “I am what is called an Agent of the Apple. The monkeys are my sole confidants.”

“Agent of the Apple?” Gran echoed.

“You don’t mean… The Apple of Enlightenment, do you?” Leicra asked.

Talah Rama nodded slightly. “That is correct.”

There was an air of silence before Talah Rama said, “Now, those powers… There is still a lot to be learned for all four of you.” He opened his eyes. “Buzz Buzz.”

Buzz Buzz blinked as he sat himself up on Tori’s shoulder.

“Many dangers await you and your friends. Dangers that just PSI Shields alone cannot stop. This power has resided in you for a long time. It has not been awakened until now.”

A wave of energy flowed through Buzz Buzz for just a moment. He then raised a hand and let the new power enter it. A shield appeared in front of him.

“You will need to learn the Sigma level on your own, but the power of Shield Alpha is now yours.” Talah Rama was silent for a few moments, as he closed his eyes again. He opened them up and said, “Tori.”

“Yo.”

“...Yes. Though the power of fire is strong, it will need to be stronger if you wish to help save this world.”

Power flowed through Tori for a moment, almost making her fall to the ground with its sheer heat. After assuring herself that she was on solid ground, she tested out the new power. A burst of fire appeared in between her hands, and her eyes lit up.

“Yes. The power of PK Fire Beta is now yours.” Another pause from Talah Rama. “Amienafleece.”

“Yes?” Gran replied.

“Your healing capabilities are more than enough for now, and will grow stronger when the time comes. PK Freeze will grow stronger soon, too. But this power you have never thought you could ever learn.”

A strange feeling washed over over Gran.

“I recommend you do no try it here, but in battle. Trying it here would have… not so good results. The power of PSI Brainshock Alpha is now yours, though.” Another pause before Talah Rama spoke again. “And Leicra.”

Leicra let out an inquiring whirr-like hum as they stared at Talah Rama, wide eyed.

“I need not awaken a previously unknown power within you… Instead, I will help you remember an technique you’ve forgotten.”  

Talah Rama, not shifting his position, hovered over to Leicra, then gently booped them just below their eye. Leicra blinked and held their arms up against them as the Agent did this.

Leicra was silent for a couple of moments before blurting out, “Oh, that’s how to perform PK Beam Beta! I remember now!”

Talah Rama nodded as he drifted back to his original spot. “That is all I have to give to you. My most faithful monkey, however, has one last technique for you to learn. Please follow him once again.”

The bearded monkey led the four out of the cave network and back onto the desert road.

“This technique will allow you to go to any place you’ve been to before. I’ll demonstrate,” the monkey told them.

The monkey hopped over into the other lane, then took a running start down the road. The monkey went to speeds not usually possible by monkey, and a blue vortex appeared a few meters in front of it. The monkey dashed inside, and the vortex disappeared. It reappeared a couple of moments later and the monkey dashed back to the four.

“I just went to Fourside and back using a technique called Teleport. That was the Alpha level I just performed. It’s best to have a straight course when you use it, but you can make turns while building up speed,” the monkey explained. “You can’t use Teleport in rooms or underground, though. You need to have the sky above you. Now, you try young lady!”

Buzz Buzz darted off Tori’s shoulder, and Tori walked into the other lane. She took a running start down the road, and a blue vortex appeared in front of her a few meters away, like with the monkey. She went in, the vortex disappeared, then reappeared a few moments later. She spun her arms around as she skidded to a halt.

“Excellent! The landing can be a bit tricky to stick when you start, so don’t worry about it.” The monkey let out a large yawn before saying, “Okay, I’m going home now.”

And with that, the bearded monkey walked back into the caves.

“Okay, I think now we should be ready to keep looking for the other Sanctuarie-” Tori paused for just a second before asking, “Wait, where’s Buzz Buzz?”

As if on cue, Buzz Buzz came flying out of a tiny blue vortex.

“Buzz Buzz! You learned Teleport too?”

“It could be useful,” Buzz Buzz replied, “seeing as how… reckless you can be with your PSI attacks.”

Tori playfully blew a raspberry at him, gaining a small chuckle from the bug.

“NOW are we ready to keep looking for those Sanctuaries?”

A chorus of “yes”’s arose from Leicra, Gran and Buzz Buzz.


	12. Zooming Around the Valley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Variant Four arrive in Threed, and they learn that Tiny Lil Ghosts are the most annoying things on Earth!

On the other end of the tunnels was the darkest and dreariest town that Buzz Buzz, Tori, Gran and Leicra had ever seen. It reeked of dead bodies, though only Tori and Buzz Buzz caught the smell. The roads were untouched. Very odd. And walking these roads were one of the last things anyone would want to see - zombies. As well as ghosts and walking puppets.

“Great,” Tori moaned. “How are we gonna get past them? They’re _everywhere._ ”

“Well, it looks like these odd humans have got the town under their control,” Leicra told the others. They looked at Tori and asked her, “Why do they look so odd?”

“They’re dead… but also not,” Tori explained, her eyes not moving away from the zombies wandering the town. “But they’re not ghosts… They still have their bodies. Stereotypically, they have a hunger for human brains and moan and groan a lot.”

“Yes…” After a twitch of his wings, Buzz Buzz added from Tori’s shoulder, “If I recall correctly, these zombies are capable of normal speech and are more sentient than the ones in fiction.”

A zombie a few meters away looked over at the four. Its red eyes glowed as it stared.

After a moment of silence, Tori murmured, “Ahhhhh crap.”

The zombie sprinted over to them, and was joined by another as it came closer. Tori fired a PK Fire Beta at the duo of zombies. The zombies took the blow silently, but were visibly in pain. Buzz Buzz set up a Shield Alpha for Tori, and Leicra followed up by attacking the zombies with PK Water. One zombie threw a punch at Tori, hitting her in the face. The other went for Gran, and went to hit her. Gran held her hands out defensively in front of her, which caused a burst of PK Freeze to surround the zombie and freeze it up. The zombie fell to the ground limply.

“Oh my goodness! Are you okay?” Gran asked the fallen zombie.

Tori kicked the zombie fighting her to the ground, then let loose a PK Fire Alpha. She then turned her head to look at Gran and exclaimed, “It’s _UNDEAD,_ Gran!”

The zombie Gran had frozen started to push itself up from the ground, and Buzz Buzz gave Gran a Shield Alpha. Leicra fired a PK Beam Beta at the zombie, making it fall back to the ground before it turned to dust.

The zombie held down by Tori’s boot leaned up and grabbed her boot with both hands. Tori screamed, then used PK Thunder. A single lightning bolt hit the zombie, and it turned to dust under her foot.

Tori let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God that’s over.”

“That’s only one battle of many. We still need to keep our guards up,” Buzz Buzz warned, gesturing to the rest of the zombie infested town with one of his lower hands.

“Right, right,” Tori mumbled as she brushed her leg. After another moment, she led the others further into the town.

The zombies and the puppets were rather simple to take care of, though the ghosts roaming around were a lot tougher. In one of these many scuffles, Tori learned PK Thunder Beta after electrocuting one of the ghosts and nearly hitting another with a second bolt she didn’t mean to summon. As they ventured the left-most graveyard, the four were attacked by a Smelly Ghost and a Zombie Possessor.

One of the first things the Zombie Possessor did was phase through Tori, sending a chill through her entire body. Once the Zombie Possessor flipped back over to the Smelly Ghost, a Tiny Lil Ghost appeared, hovering next to Tori’s free shoulder.

And that Tiny Lil Ghost sure had a lot to say.“Hi! Beautiful weather we’re having, isn’t it? Don’t answer that, I know this weather sucks ass. Anyway, this fight sure is going bad for you already, huh? Want me to make it worse? I’m gonna make it worse either way! You have no choice! Hey, do yo-”

“Can you perhaps _not_ possess me? Or shut up?” Tori questioned the Tiny Lil Ghost.

“Nope! I’m gonna be here making things worse for you and driving you up the wall with my non-stop talking whether you like it or not!”

Both Tori and Buzz Buzz groaned.

By now the Smelly Ghost was starting to get low on health in spite of its many uses of Lifeup Alpha on both itself and the Zombie Possessor. Leicra had done a lot of attacking, and was starting to run out of PP from their constant use of PK Water. Tori helped them out by unleashing a PK Fire Beta. It did enough damage to get rid of the Smelly Ghost, though the flame itself was weaker due to Tori’s focus being off thanks to the Tiny Lil Ghost yammering away in her ear. Leicra fired a PK Beam Alpha at the Zombie Possessor, which finally got rid of it. Unfortunately, the Tiny Lil Ghost didn’t disappear with it.

“So… is that little ghost going to… keep possessing you?” Gran asked.

“Yup!” the Tiny Lil Ghost replied. 

“...Maybe they’ll be useful,” Leicra tried to reassure the others, They looked at the Tiny Lil Ghost and asked, “What kind of things do you do in battle?”

“I make people freeze up for fun!”

Tori let a groan. “Is there _any_ way to get you away?”

“We’re probably going to need an exorcist,” Buzz Buzz muttered.

A round, creamy thing stuck out from the trees nearby, and all four jumped slightly upon seeing it. The thing twitched twice, then _more_ of it came out from the trees. A small, round something with two whiskers on each side of its face and thick black eyebrows had come out, wearing a red hood, however it did that. It stared at the four with its beady black eyes for a few moments.

“Is… Is it dangerous?” Tori whispered.

“I don’t think so…” Buzz Buzz murmured.

Tori cautiously approached the hooded thing, and Leicra and Gran followed her just as warily.

Once Tori, Leicra and Gran had approached the thing, it whispered cheerily, “Hi ho!”

Tori blinked.

“What… are you?” Leicra asked quietly.

“I Mr. Saturn!” the hooded thing, Mr. Saturn, replied. “It dangerous out here! Many zombies and ghosties. Br-r-r-r. You come with me? Can take you to safe place!”

The four exchanged glances, then Tori said, “Uh, sure.”

“Boing! Follow. We go through trees.” Mr. Saturn headed back into the trees, and the four followed.  

Buzz Buzz dived into Tori’s pocket just before she squeezed past the trees. Once she, Leicra and Gran had gotten through, Mr. Saturn told them, “We sneak past zombies. They guard entrance, but we find way to get past. Zoom!”

Mr. Saturn then hopped down a ladder leading underground, and Tori, Leicra and Gran continued to follow. Mr. Saturn led them through the caves, which also had ghosts in them. Mr. Saturn had a solution for this - he pulled out A laser gun from his hood, which somehow managed to hide itself so well that no one had noticed he even had it. The ghosts were no match for Mr. Saturn’s gun.

“Wh-Where did you get that _GUN?!_ ” Tori questioned.

“Tall man give it to Mr. Saturns, zoom!” Mr. Saturn replied, looking up at Tori. “He had extra, so he give us one! For self defense.”

Tori nodded slowly. As she continued to follow Mr. Saturn, she said, “Another question for you; I don’t suppose you have anyone who can get rid of Smelly Talksalot yammering away right near me?”

Mr. Saturn turned to face Tori and looked up around her head. He soon saw the Tiny Lil Ghost, who had been talking away this whole time but ignored by all as best as possible.

“Yes. Doctor can get rid of ghostie, ding,” Mr. Saturn told her.

“Oh thank _God._ ”

When Mr. Saturn and the four reemerged from the cave, they were in an area with a lake and many animals and zombies.

“Now…” Mr. Saturn told them, putting the gun back into his hood, “we zoom.”

Mr. Saturn dashed away, crying out, “ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!”

Tori, Leicra and Gran ran after him, chasing off the enemies which so desperately wanted to get at their throats. They caught up to Mr. Saturn in another cave, where he was catching his breath.

“Wow, little guy, you sure can run,” Tori told him.

Mr. Saturn nodded, then said, “We close. Follow.”

Mr. Saturn led them through the cave. Some roaches came to their feet and started yelling at them.

“If roachies give you trouble, just squish them, boing,” Mr. Saturn told them.

“Could you not also squish them…?” Leicra asked.

“No. Goes against morals.”

Thankfully, the roaches weren’t too much trouble, as Tori had scared them off with a show of fire from her fingertips as a warning. Before long, the four had arrived in a valley. The grass somehow kept its green colour in spite of all the horror Giygas had unleashed upon the world. Around the bend was a single pond and some houses whose roofs had rings around the edge, like Saturn’s rings, and a red bow at the top. Many caves, ladders and trees dotted the valley. More Mr. Saturns, though hoodless, ambled around, almost as if nothing was wrong.

“Welcome to Saturn Valley!” Mr. Saturn announced, pulling back his hood.

Buzz Buzz peeped out of Tori’s pocket and asked, “This… is where you live?”

“Ding ding! Correct!” Mr. Saturn replied. “Here, all are Mr. Saturn. Apart from Doctor Saturn. Doctor Saturn is Doctor.”

“Where is he?” Tori asked immediately, her eyes growing wide.

“I show you!”

Mr. Saturn led the four to a yellow house. Inside, a Mr. Saturn inside a trash can sat.

“Your doctor… is in a trash can?” Gran asked.

“Yes. It personal choice. We no mind,” Mr. Saturn told her. He then looked over at Dr. Saturn and said, “Hi ho Doctor! I come with visitors! One has ghostie possessing her, can you get rid of, zoom?”

“Of course!” Dr. Saturn replied. “Which one possessed by ghostie, boing?”

Tori shuffled over to Dr. Saturn.

“Kay-o. Hold still, ding.”

There was a beat before the Tiny Lil Ghost ceased to be, its pleas fading away as it was removed from the mortal realm.

“There! You allllll fixed up!”

“...Thanks.” Tori turned to Leicra and Gran and murmured to them, “I thought that was going to be a lot worse.”

With the Tiny Lil Ghost gone, Buzz Buzz returned to his perch of Tori’s shoulder.

“Now can go explore! Boing!” Mr. Saturn told the four, then exited the house. The four did the same.

The other Mr. Saturns gave the four very warm welcomes. Their cheery faces hadn’t faltered even during Giygas’ rein. But even still, Buzz Buzz sensed an air of melancholy that the Mr. Saturns hadn’t addressed yet.

As Tori gushed over a trio of Mr. Saturns with Leicra and Gran, Buzz Buzz buzzed over to what he assumed was an older Mr. Saturn. The older Mr. Saturn leaned on a tree stump and watched over the rest of the valley.

Buzz Buzz landed softly on the Mr. Saturn’s head, gaining his attention, and quietly asked him, “Excuse me, Mr. Saturn? Has anything out of the ordinary happened here recently?”

The Mr. Saturn closed his eyes and contemplated something quietly, then replied, “It is story for you and friends. Get them to come up here?”

Buzz Buzz nodded, then darted over to Tori, Leicra and Gran.

“It seems something’s happened here recently, and all of us need to hear it,” Buzz Buzz told them. “The Mr. Saturn who’ll tell us about it is just up by that tree stump.”

“Okay, but can we take these Mr. Saturns with us?” Tori asked.

Buzz Buzz was silent for a moment as he stared at Tori, then let out a reluctant sigh. “Okay, you can take them up.”

Tori let out a squeak of delight, then scooped up one of the Mr. Saturns in front of her into her arms. Leicra let another sit on their head, and the third was held under Gran’s right arm. Buzz Buzz led the other three, Mr. Saturns in hand, up to the older Mr. Saturn by the tree stump.

“Goodie, you bring friends,” the older Mr. Saturn said once Buzz Buzz had returned with Tori, Leicra and Gran. “Now I tell you of baddie bad things that happen here, zoom.”

“Saturn Valley was once full. But now very empty, ding. Baddy baddy barf man called Belch take some Mr. Saturns to make fly honey, but tall man get them back. We thankful for tall man. He leave us laser gun to protect us with before he leave, boing, but gun could no protect us from second baddy bad.

Big and scary spider person come to valley. He take lots of Mr. Saturns. They no come back yet. We sad. But try to stay happy. They come back someday, boing. Surely.”

A sadness filled the air around them, and everyone was silent for a minute.

“But, can sense music stone! I know of place to charge it,” the older Mr. Saturn added. “It just north of here, through cave behind tree stump. Be careful there. Monsters.”

“Right. Will do,” Tori said, standing up.

Buzz Buzz stared at her before asking, “You’re not going to bring the Mr. Saturn with you, are you?”

Tori stood still with a look of conflict. After a few moments, she set down the Mr. Saturn she was holding. Gran did the same, and the Mr. Saturn on Leicra’s head simply jumped off. He stuck the landing, too.

“Nice landing!” Leicra said to the Mr. Saturn that was on their head.

“Thank you boing!”

“Now, let’s go find this Sanctuary and charge the Sound Stone,” Gran said.

The journey to the Sanctuary was rough, but Tori found humour in the name of one of the species living there. The others, not so much, but they were glad that she found something to laugh about after the depressing tale the older Mr. Saturn told them. The Sanctuary was a pond of light pink water with a rock sitting in the middle. Tori couldn’t help but point out how she thought it looked like a butt before holding up the Sound Stone to charge it. Gran thought it looked more like a love heart. The name of the Sanctuary whispered into their minds as the Sound Stone charged: Milky Well.

On the way back to Saturn Valley, Tori looked at the Sound Stone.

“We’ve been to how many Sanctuaries, now?” she asked Buzz Buzz.

“There was Pink Cloud, Magnet Hill, Milky Well just now…” He looked up from his gloved hands and told Tori, “Three.”

“So we’ve almost got half of them!” Leicra chimed in.

“Yeah!” Tori looked back at the Sound Stone and gazed at it for a moment. “It really _has_ changed colour, hasn’t it?”

Buzz Buzz leaned closer to the Sound Stone as Tori said, “It’s actually noticeably blue now.”

“A light blue… But definitely blue,” Buzz Buzz added.

Before the four knew it, they were back in Saturn Valley. The older Mr. Saturn, as well as the Mr. Saturns that accompanied Tori, Leicra and Gran.

“You charge music stone?” the older Mr. Saturn asked.

“We sure did!” Tori grinned.

“Goody! We prepare Saturn Coffee for you? Drink before go?”

After talking to themselves for a brief moment, Tori said, “Yeah, why not.”

“Kay-o! Sit down at tree stump! Coffee is already there.”

The four sat themselves down, Buzz Buzz opting to sit on the tree stump itself. Four mugs sat on the tree stump, steam still coming from it. 

“Um… How are Gran and I going to drink it?” Leicra asked the older Mr. Saturn.

“...Oh. I no think of that, zoom,” the older Mr. Saturn said. “We just make four mugs because there four of you. Did not factor in no mouths or small body.”

There was a brief moment of silence before one of the other Mr. Saturns chirped, “Pour it on head!”

Gran blinked at him, and Leicra just stared. Leicra looked back to one of the mugs, then said, “I’ll try it.”

They picked up a mug and held in their hands for a couple of moments, staring at the pink-ish liquid inside. They then looked over at Gran and told her, “Gran, make sure you take your hat off before pouring it on your head.”

“I will!”

Tori had spent a few moments blowing on her coffee to try cool it off, to no success. Buzz Buzz had fluttered up to the top of another mug and had been staring at the coffee inside for a while, trying to figure out how to drink it without falling in. Gran then picked up her mug and held it, waiting for everyone else to be ready.

“Saturn Coffee no cool, ding. Takes away special flavour,” the older Mr. Saturn told Tori.

“Thanks,” Tori said breathlessly.

“Are we all ready?” Buzz Buzz asked, nervousness on his face from the possibility of falling into his mug.

The other three chorused their readiness, then Buzz Buzz counted down from three. Tori and Buzz Buzz took a sip of their coffee while Leicra and Gran poured it on their heads.

As they did, the older Mr. Saturn chirped, “Bottoms up!”

* * *

_You’re all very far from home… The bonds of space-time may be broken, but that has caused you all to be here in this moment._

_Do you remember how the war began? The Pigmasks came from another time to this one, seeking to defeat Giygas. There is no heroic drive behind this, only more evil. But the four of you may be able to put an end to this._  

_And yet, there are those who see the light at the end of the tunnel. The remaining citizens of Stormin, that mysterious man you met in that town as well, the Mr. Saturns… and the four of you. You have shared many moments together, both highs and lows. There will be more of these in the very near future, but I know you will be able to handle it._

_You all have each other in this quest to alter fate. Buzz, the insectoid from afar, wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Tori. Gran, while not the most keen fighter, has made herself a member of your ragtag crew. And Leicra called out to you while in Autumns to tell you of how to alter this twisted timeline._

_You still have a long way to go on this quest, and it will certainly be full of ups and downs. It will be scary to face, but keep your courage, humour and drive, and know that in the end, it will all be worth it. I am positive you will succeed. When two evils battle, do you believe that the clouds that cover the sky will have a silver lining? Do you believe that good will show itself in time?_

_You may come to suspect things about the others around you, but one thing to remember is who you can trust. Know your allies, know your enemies, and only then will you know where you stand. The difficult times ahead will try to lead you astray, but as long as you keep your goal in mind, you will not fall victim to the enemies’ temptations._

_When you have finished this cup of coffee, your quest will resume. Next, you must head east, and through the town of Twoson you must find Happy-Happy Village._  

_Buzz…_

_Tori…_

_Gran…_

_Leicra…_

_I wish you luck…_

* * *

 The four sat in wide-eyed silence.

“Did- Did you guys- Did you… hear that? See that? Hear-see whatever that was?” Tori asked Leicra and Gran.

Leicra and Gran nodded.

“That…” Buzz Buzz looked over at the Mr. Saturns and asked them, “What did you _put_ in this?!”

“That secret, ding,” the older Mr. Saturn told him.  The other three Mr. Saturns added in a simultaneous “shhh!”

“But at least we know where to go next,” Tori said. “But I think we should maybe… take a few moments. To just… recover from whatever the hell that coffee was.”

And the other three agreed.


	13. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Variant Four go visit some more Sanctuaries, what could possibly go wrong?

The journey to Twoson wasn’t too hard - the ghosts in the Two-Three tunnel were a hassle, but they were no match a song that Tori knew from her time. She sung it at the top of her lungs, and while her singing voice wasn’t good, the heart behind it was enough to drive away the ghosts.

Twoson was empty. It was unsettling to walk through the town - the preschool, with craters surrounding it, was one of the first things they saw. It saddened them to know that so many young lives were ended during the attacks. They soon found a cave, which led them to a valley - they took a detour around the inconveniently-placed iron pencil statue by just taking a dip into the river and swimming around it. After a few battles with Giygas’ robots and some trees, they arrived in Happy-Happy Village, which looked all but. The entire village was literally blue, save the dried blood on the grass in a couple of spots. A nearby cave filled with moles, bears, and bats led them to the next Sanctuary, Lilliput Steps. The way the small footsteps just started from nowhere and abruptly ended was both fascinating and unsettling. Leicra thought they felt someone watching them, but just for a moment. They were sure they were just being silly.

They got out of the village as fast as they could, having to fight more robots and trees on the way back. Leicra learned a new PSI skill while the four were fighting one of the Spinning Robos in the valley, Defense Down Alpha. Leicra used it a lot after that. Once the four returned to Twoson, they kicked down the door of the local hotel and slept there for a while. When they had all awoken, they continued north. There were a lot of walking mushrooms. They were absolutely horrible to fight, but miraculously, their spores didn’t land on them.

The town of Onett had police barricades all over. But since the police were nowhere to be seen, they could do whatever they wanted. Tori gladly kicked down any and all barricades they came across, including the ones that blocked the entrance from Twoson. Before they went into the cave that led to the Sanctuary, Leicra suggested that they went to the northernmost section of the town. There were two destroyed houses, and a hill. The houses had overwhelming energies, which mixed together and confused Buzz Buzz. It was nothing psychic, but rather, just emotional. There was something about those two houses by the hill that stuck out to him, he just… didn’t know what.

But soon enough for Buzz Buzz they went into the caves leading to Onett’s Sanctuary. There was a sign on the fence just outside it saying “Don’t Enter”, but it was completely ignored - the fate of the timeline was at stake here, who had time for following rules? The slugs in the caves were kind of a nuisance. The rats were annoying. But they weren’t too much trouble. And soon enough, they had arrived at Onett’s Sanctuary: Giant Step. It was, well, a giant footprint in the ground. After some banter on what might have caused the footprint, the four headed back to the town. Or… they would have, if it weren’t for the Starman Super standing in front of them. Said Starman Super wore the collar of a cape without the actual cape. The collar was black with red edges. He also wore red wristbands with two mirrored, wiggly black lines. Standing behind him were five Starmen in a semicircle.

“Well well, looks like you’ve been scampering around trying to undo things, just like the Final Starmen said,” the Starman Super hummed. He glared at Leicra and added, “And one of the Blues became a rebel.”

The Starman Super sighed. “Well, I had a feeling it would happen one of these days.”

“Captain, why are we still just standing around?” one of the Starmen behind the Starman Super asked.

“Yeah! I wanna go at ‘em!” another added.

The Starman Super whipped around to face the Starmen and snapped, “Quiet, you lot!”

The Starman Super then turned back to the four and cleared his throat. “Now then. My Starmen and I have been training, and I’m sure we can defeat you here and stop you from undoing all of Lord Giygas’ work into making this world the perfection that it is.”

“Men…” The Starman Super raised an arm and yelled, “GET ‘EM!”

At once, the five Starmen lunged at the four. Buzz Buzz immediately used PSI Shield Sigma, and the shield of PSI enveloped them as the Starmen started attacking with their PK Beams. Tori let out streams of PK Fire Beta, barely managing to defeat the Starmen who didn’t guard. Leicra added in some PK Waters, but mostly stuck to PK Beam Beta. There were about two Starmen left when the Starman Super decided to join in the battle. Everyone, save Buzz Buzz, who had dived into Tori’s pocket, was starting to run out of PP, and PSI Magnet only did so much for Tori. The Starman Super called out for more backup, and two more Starmen came seconds later.

“You’re outmatched,” the Starman Super sneered.

And it wasn’t much longer until three of the four blacked out.

* * *

 The stars in the night sky twinkled, and the grass billowed in the breeze and felt nice on Gran’s wool. This would have been a perfect night, if it weren’t for one thing.

A green Mook, darker than most, slithered over and sat down beside her. He bit his lip as his deep red, almost black eyes stared at the grass.

There was a silence between them for what seemed like forever. And yet, it only felt like mere moments.

Finally, the Mook mumbled, “So, uh… that went poorly, didn’t it?”

Gran looked over at the Mook and nodded.

“This was never what I wanted to happen. I just wanted us to be happy together, but…” The Mook blinked as he inhaled, letting a tear run down his face. His voice distorted for a few moments, as if her own voice was being reflected in his. “This is all my fault.”

“Don’t say that,” Gran softly told the Mook, putting an arm around him. “You were only trying to do the best for us. We couldn’t have stopped it, even if we wanted to.”

“Yeah, but-!” The Mook wrenched his eyes shut as he looked away from her.

For once, Gran didn’t know what to say. She was usually quite good at comforting others, so why couldn’t she now, and right when he needed it most…?

“It’s… just… I’m- I _was_ the captain,” the Mook croaked. His voice distorted again. “I’m supposed to know what to do, I’m supposed to help everyone be the best they can be, I’m supposed to _protect_ everyone.”

He looked back at Gran and told her, “If it had to be anyone, it should have been me. Not… Not…” He looked back at the grass again, tears threatening to spill from all three of his eyes. “Not little Lucy.”

Gran felt tears welling up in her eyes, too. She pulled the Mook closer to her and hugged him.

“And the others- They should have just let _me_ protect her! They could have gone on without me- _You_ could have-”

“We would all miss you very much,” Gran murmured. “Yes, someone else would step up to be captain, but it wouldn’t feel right without you.”

The Mook’s tears were now staining Gran’s wool. His breathing was uneasy. He wrapped his arms around Gran as he returned the hug.

“I’m not sure what I’d do without you, Amie.”

* * *

 “Captain! The Shambler’s awake now!” The voice of a Starman was in front of Gran, calling out to another part of… wherever she was. She just knew it was dim and there were bars in front of her. The other three were awake, and they all looked reasonably okay.

The taps of the captain the Starman called out to came steadily closer, until he was right of her. It was the same Starman Super that had ambushed her and the other three back in Onett.

“Thank you for alerting me, #7269-β. You are dismissed.”

The Starman walked away, leaving the Starman Super standing in front of the four’s cell.

“Well. Isn’t this interesting,” the Starman Super started. “I could only overpower you when you had gotten stronger. How strange.”

The Starman Super’s lower eyelid raised as a grin. “But that doesn’t matter! What matters is that I’ve got you stuck here!”

“Alright, just who do you think you are?” Tori growled, leaning forward.

“In all the logs I am Starman Super #31451-ε, but my troops call me… Captain Astra.”

Captain Astra took a couple of steps to the fours’ right, his hands behind his back. “Although… now that I think about it… I simply wasn’t prepared for you back at the Autumns base.”

“Wait, what?”

Captain Astra glanced at Tori. He stared at her for a few moments before saying, “What do you mean, “what”. You were there. We have seen each other before.

Tori raised an eyebrow. “We have?”

“YES! At the Starman base in Autumns, you came out of the underground chambers, and I WAS THERE! With two Starmen!”

Tori thought for a moment before saying, “Yeah, actually, you _do_ sound familiar. But I don’t recognise you or anything.”

Captain Astra sighed angrily and muttered, “I should have figured. You humans are so bad at everything…”

Tori squinted at him as he took another two steps to the fours’ left.  “But anyway. Look at this cool clothing that was given to me! It helps me stand out from the other Starmen Supers.”

“Why, because you’re a pompous nailhead and you want everyone to know?” Tori muttered.

Whipping around to face her, Captain Astra screamed, “NO, IMBECILE!” He stood up straight and took a moment to collect himself before explaining, “I must stand out from the other Starmen Supers because I have been assigned a very important mission. Our Lord Giygas can feel the power of the earth, and _you four_ have been going around to some very important spots and doing who knows what there, and that has been causing him a lot of distress. So _I’m_ following the bursts of energy and recording them. And _you_ are leading me right to them! I don’t know how you’re finding these places, but you seem to be attracted to them like magnet.”

Captain Astra then glanced to the side for a moment before saying, “Now I’ve got to go attend to something. I’ll be back shortly. Don’t go trying to break out, now.”

The four watched as Captain Astra walked away down to the left end of the hall. It was only until the sound of his footsteps could no longer be heard they dared to talk.

“Well this sucks,” Tori said. “He’s been tracking us charging the Sound Stone? What are we supposed to do?”

A muffled buzzing filled the cell, and Buzz Buzz came out of Tori’s pocket and sat up on her shoulder. “We continue charging the Sound Stone. It’s either that or let the world delve deeper into chaos. It’s not the best situation we’re in, but what other choice do we have?”

He looked to the wall opposite of the cell and added, “But more short-term, we break out.”

“But didn’t Astra tell us _not_ to break out?” Leicra asked.

“Yeah, but we’re not gonna listen to him,” Tori said, a sly smile creeping across her face.

“So how are we going to get out?” Gran asked.

“Well, the last time I broke out of a Starman base, I had fired a bolt of PK Thunder at the opposite wall, at such an angle that it would rebound off it and hit the switch located at the top of the bars,” Buzz Buzz explained.

There was a brief silence before Gran asked, “...How did you know PK Thunder?”

“...Certain circumstances.”

“Okay, I have no idea _how_ you managed to do that, because my luck with PK Thunder isn’t good enough to even try that,” Tori commented. “Also, couldn’t you just fly out of the cell and hit the switch yourself, Buzz Buzz?”

“...I could.”

“Then go on!”

Buzz Buzz buzzed off Tori’s shoulder, out of the cell, then pressed the button above it with all four arms. There was a **click,** and then the cell bars rumbled down into the floor. The other three stood up, their faces lit up with joy, and Buzz Buzz returned to Tori’s shoulder.

“So which way now?” Tori asked Buzz Buzz

Buzz Buzz placed a hand to his chin and thought before replying, “Right.”

Tori, Leicra and Gran ran down the right end of hall and through the door.

“Wait, Tori! Before we go any further!” Tori glanced at Buzz Buzz as he told her, “You should probably use that illusion PSI of yours!”

Tori nodded, then held up her hands. They sparkled for a moment, and the Starman illusion was set up.

“Can that be used on others?” Gran asked.

“Uh, I dunno. I’ve never tried it.” Tori then held out her hands at Gran. Nothing happened.

“I guess not.”

“Oh well. At least you tried!” Gran told her.

Now with Tori under her Starman illusion, she, Leicra and Gran continued through the Starman base with Buzz Buzz’s direction. All the halls looked the same, but they were confident Buzz Buzz knew where he was going. And he did. Eventually, the four came across a dead end. One of the panels was a bit loose, so Gran loosened it further and took it off. The four then ducked through the hole now in the wall to another part of the base, Buzz Buzz flitting off Tori’s shoulder.

It was dark. The only sources of light were the veins of purple energy pulsating across the walls, and the faint green glow of various tubes.

As Tori looked to her left, she found herself right beside a green translucent tube. She stood up and yelped. She backed up to the wall as Gran and Leicra followed her in. Everyone looked at the tubes in shock for a few moments.

The tubes gave off a soft glow, and were filled with some kind of liquid. Inside the tubes were adult humans, some of which still clinging on to consciousness, others already out. Three of the humans looked much paler and thinner than normal.

“I think… I think these are the kidnapped humans from Autumns,” Leicra finally stated.

“Oh yeah… they were kidnapped, right,” Tori murmured.

“But I don’t understand why they weren’t contained in Autumns, too.”

One of the tube-bound adults spotted the four from the corner of her eye. She opened her mouth and let out a plea. The plea was absorbed by the tube and its liquid, and the woman passed out.

Gran stared in horror for a moment, then turned to the other three. “We have to get them out of those tubes.”

“But how?” Tori asked.

“I don’t know, but I can’t stand to see these humans suffer.”

Buzz Buzz settled down on Tori’s shoulder again. “I have to agree, we have to save them. I have a feeling I know what will happen to them if we don’t.”

Tori, Gran and Buzz Buzz looked at Leicra.

“Leicra? Do you have any idea as to how to turn the tubes off?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“We would have to find the computer running the power to the tubes,” Leicra answered, “and judging by the flow of these veins…” They looked over to a door to the right. “It would be that way.”

Leicra led the other three into the right room, then ducked behind them once they had entered. The computer - a round, purple device with green runes - was atop a raised portion of the floor. And standing in front of it was the Starman Deluxe. He glanced over at them and stared.

Leicra let out a nervous “uhh” as they and the other three stepped toward the center of the room. The Starman Deluxe’s gaze followed them.

“Hello, #1-Σ!” Leicra greeted.

The Starman Deluxe stared at Leicra for a few moments before announcing in a flat voice, “Recognition scan complete. Blue Starman #3827-γ. Why are you not in Autumns?” He finished his speech with a click.

“I was sent here to… Check on the computer here! In this room! Just to make sure everything is running as it should.”

“What about the Apple of Enlightenment?”

“Do not worry! One of my fellow Blue Starmen is taking care of the Apple in my absence.”

“And why is there-” The Starman Deluxe whirred, “-another Starman and a Wild ‘n’ Wooly Shambler with you?”

“The Wooly Shambler… is my prisoner! I was just about to take them to some tubes in another room… Since… the ones nearby are all taken…” Leicra paused, then added, “And this other Starman is accompanying me!

“...Wouldn’t you take-” The Starman Deluxe beeped, “-the prisoner to the tubes-” he clicked, “-first?”

“I wanted to make sure the computer was sending power to the tubes just fine before I did!” Leicra’s looked like they were going to explode.

The Starman Deluxe whirred softly for a few moments before saying, “#3827-γ, you are lying. There are no other tube rooms in this section of the Stonehenge base,-” the Starman Deluxe beeped,”-and not too long ago four captives were taken to Cell Hall 1 in the other section of the base.” He whirred, then continued, “Any and all prisoners attempting to escape-” he clicked, “-must be returned to their cell, and if they refuse, then they must be killed.”

The Starman Deluxe held out his hands for a PK Beam. Before the beam could fire, Tori used PSI Magnet on it, stopping the beam and giving the PSI in it to Tori.

As Buzz Buzz used PSI Shield Sigma, he said to her, “Good thinking, Tori!”

A ginormous smile spread on Tori’s face as she dropped her Starman illusion. Buzz Buzz dived into her pocket, and Leicra used Defense Down on the Starman Deluxe. Tori fired a PK Fire Beta at the Starman Deluxe, burning him. Gran followed up with a PK Freeze, and Leicra used a PK Beam Beta on him. The Starman Deluxe started up another PK Beam, but Tori stopped it with PSI Magnet again. Another PK Fire Beta was launched, and Leicra and Gran followed up with another PK Beam Beta and PK Freeze respectively. The Starman Super was getting annoyed now, and decided to use another PSI attack. He pointed an arm up, an a cluster of PSI stars and cosmic energy gathered around it. The energy grew, and soon enough yellow and blue stars shot down at Tori, Leicra and Gran. Leicra managed to dodge a couple, and so did Gran, but Tori got hit by the most. Gran attempted to use Lifeup Alpha on herself, and managed to do half of it before running out of PP.

“He’s too strong, we can’t take him down!” Buzz Buzz called out. “Leicra, get to the computer!”

Leicra rushed over to the computer, but the Starman Deluxe stepped into their way. Leicra frowned, then swiped at his legs. It distracted the Starman Deluxe for a moment, and Tori took the chance to kick him in the hips. The Starman Deluxe stumbled over, and Leicra dashed up to the computer. They frantically searched through the computer’s programs until they came across the power system for the tubes. They shut the tubes’ power down. A bang came from the other room, startling everyone.

“Come on, let’s go!” Buzz Buzz cried.

Tori dashed into the other room as soon as Buzz Buzz had finished his sentence, and Gran ran after her. Leicra followed, and locked the door once it slammed behind them.

The humans in the tubes had been freed, and the liquid that was once inside had spilled onto the cold floor. The conscious adults were getting any others unconscious onto their backs.

“We’re getting you guys out of here, come on,” Tori told them, then dashed out to the left. Gran, Leicra and the adults from Autumns followed. Leicra had scooped up one of the unconscious adults from a struggling one as they caught up to the crowd.

Buzz Buzz darted off Tori’s shoulder and led them through the base again. They ran through dark metallic halls that slowly rose upward, then through the tunnels with a strange fluorescent slime lining them. The way out was blocked by an iron eraser statue, which Tori climbed over, using Leicra as a step, and helped the adults from Autumns over. Once everyone had climbed over, Leicra teleported past it, and everyone kept running as Buzz Buzz led the way. Soon, they emerged onto the surface - a snowy clearing in a forest of pine trees. Sure enough, the entrance to the base was right in the middle of Stonehenge.

Once everyone had climbed out, Tori yelled, “Scatter! Try not to let the Starmen find you!”

The adults from Autumns did as they were told, running in all directions in groups of two, three or four. Buzz Buzz returned to Tori’s shoulder, and she, Gran and Leicra ran north of Stonehenge into a cave.

They weren’t in the cave for long, as on the ledge they dashed across, was an exit leading to another Sanctuary. There was a murky puddle and a cloud hovering above it, constantly raining. There was no time to admire the spot, though. Tori fished out the Sound Stone and held it up, and it charged. The name of the Sanctuary echoed in the fours’ minds: Rainy Circle.

Just after Tori put the Sound Stone back in her pocket, a familiar voice spoke. “We already knew that this place had something special.”

The four looked up to see Captain Astra standing up on the land next to Rainy Circle. “We just didn’t know what.”

He jumped down into the Sanctuary, stuck the landing, then put his hands on his hips. “So thank you for letting us know! Men, you know what to do.”

Two Starmen jumped into the Sanctuary and rushed towards the four. Buzz Buzz buzzed off Tori’s shoulder, then darted away back into the cave. Tori, Gran and Leicra wasted no time in going with him. Tori looked over her shoulder to find the Starmen were a lot faster than she expected. Buzz Buzz was buzzing louder than he ever had, and the sound of it was filling his ears. Without thinking, he sped up, and a blue vortex appeared a short distance away. Nobody knew where it led, not even Buzz Buzz himself. But nobody cared at that point. Buzz Buzz darted into the Teleport vortex, and Tori, Gran and Leicra climbed in after him.


	14. 10 Years Gone By

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Variant Four find themselves in a place _most_ of them don’t recognise.

The four arrived near a beach - the grass was dry and crunchy underfoot, and there was plenty of sand mixed in as well. The gentle splashing of the waves filled the air. The four of them had teleported right near a cliff, with a ladder up to the top nearby - it formed a semicircle around the area near the beach. It seemed they had arrived in a cove.

Looking around, Tori said, “Hey, uh, the monkey said that we could only teleport to places we’ve been, right? I don’t think we’ve been here, how did you-”

Buzz Buzz hovered a short distance away, looking at the village that Tori had skimmed over. It was in ruins - the houses were no more than piles of wood now.

“Buzz Buzz…?”

“This…” Buzz Buzz murmured, “This was my home…”

Guilt struck the other three, but Tori especially.

“Ah geez… I should have figured you knew this place…”

Buzz Buzz inhaled before replying, “It’s fine.” He then buzzed into the ruins of the village. Tori, Gran and Leicra followed from a distance.

Buzz Buzz hovered beside the nearest fallen house on the left. No one had ever seen him look so upset before. He then buzzed over to the fallen house opposite, and hovered beside that one for a short time, too.

As Buzz Buzz made his way to the second fallen house on the left, Leicra asked, “This place looks like it would be far too big to suitably house any species of insect. Did you simply live among whoever lived here?”

Buzz Buzz bit his lip as he hovered by the fallen house. “...Gran, Leicra. I was a human. I grew up here with the other people of this village…” He paused before saying, “If it weren’t for Tori, I wouldn’t be here right now. My soul was simply… put inside a bug’s body.”

Buzz Buzz buzzed over to the opposite fallen house, and spent some time there. After a minute, he buzzed over to the third fallen house on the left. After another minute of silence, he looked over at the fallen house opposite the one he was near. More grief washed over his face. He slowly made his way to the fallen house, and landed delicately on its ruins.

He took a shaky breath in before croaking out, “Ma… I’m sorry…”

He slumped down on the log he had landed on, and laid there, eyes closed, for a couple of minutes. He eventually lifted himself up, and whispered, “I’m so, so, sorry. I was young, and I was foolish.”

He buzzed back up into the air and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Buzz Buzz visited the other fallen houses, spending time at what remained. An especially large pile of logs sat at the other end of the village, in between two smaller ones in comparison.

“Hey, what was that building over there?” Tori asked Buzz Buzz, pointing at the large pile of wood. “I mean, you don’t have to answer, of course. I understand if you don’t want to.”

“That? That was the village hall,” Buzz Buzz said. “We often ate our dinner there, and during the day, the adults would have meetings there.” 

A sigh escaped him as a melancholy smile faintly appeared on his face. “I always wanted to know what went on in those meetings. The adults were always so secretive about it.”

He buzzed over to the ruins of the hall and stayed there for a minute.

As she looked out at the tree stumps in the distance, Gran asked, “Did you ever visit the forest while it was there?”

Buzz Buzz looked up and in the direction Gran was looking in, and the grief returned to his eyes. It lingered, but faded a little as he replied, “Yes. There were a lot of different bugs and birds in there. I’m glad I was turned off from eating the bugs now, now that I think about it.”

Buzz Buzz rose up a bit, and turned to look at the ocean. “But the beach was my favourite place to play at. I always liked the sea. Sometimes I would try to catch fish with my bare hands.” A light chuckle came from him. He smiled a little as he stared out at the beach.

After a brief silence, Leicra asked, “And what about that cave over there?”

The others looked over at the cave Leicra mentioned, which they were pointing at. Not too far from the fallen village hall was a cave in the cliff face. 

“The cave? That was off limits,” Buzz Buzz said. “Only the adults ever went in there. They never told us why.”

For an instant, Buzz Buzz thought he saw a middle-aged woman walk inside the cave, gesturing for him to follow. There was a pause after she had vanished, then Buzz Buzz buzzed over to the cave and went inside. Tori, Gran and Leicra followed him in, though cautiously.

“You’re not the kind of person that would break rules when the rule-setters aren’t around anymore!” Tori said to Buzz Buzz as she entered the cave.

“This isn’t about breaking rules,” Buzz Buzz replied. “I feel like… I’m just supposed to right now.”

A little way into the cave, torches placed on both walls flared to life, lighting the way for a short distance. As Buzz Buzz, Tori, Gran and Leicra went further into the cave, more torches lit up by themselves and lit the way for them. It was a long walk, but eventually the came across a boulder blocking another portion of the cave. Tori and Leicra pushed it to the side for Buzz Buzz. 

Behind the boulder was a small room, with a lit torch on each wall. In the middle of the room sat a robed figure. The robe was black with golden accents that twinkled, and the hood was drawn over their face. Even so, the end of a beak could be seen poking out from under the hood. The robed figure looked up to see Buzz Buzz, with Tori, Gran and Leicra standing behind him.

The figure was silent for a moment before they quietly said, “You came, Buzz.”

Buzz Buzz blinked, then asked, “You know who I am? Even after-?”

The robed figure lowered their head a little. “Yes. I was told of what happened, and what would happen.”

The robed figure patted the ground in front of them, and said, “Sit.”

Buzz Buzz warily buzzed over to the spot the robed figure had patted and sat down on the rocky ground.

The robed figure studied Buzz Buzz for a moment before telling him, “Even though physically you are much smaller, I can tell you’ve grown.” The figure looked up at Tori, Gran and Leicra and continued, “You even made some new friends. You three can come sit down, too. Just be careful not to squish Buzz.”

The other three sat down behind Buzz Buzz.

“I believe I am overdue for an introduction.” The robed figure put a hand to their chest and said, “I am Apoen. I have lived here for centuries in this cave, and have shared wisdom of the future to the adults of Metis Cove.”

Apoen paused before continuing, “I am one of the Agents of the Apple. The Apple of Enlightenment shares its wisdom of many futures to me. I decide which is the most plausible, and tell the adults that future. But they were to keep my existence a secret to the children, at least until the time came for them to enter the cave, too.” Apoen smiled. “I remember, your mother told me you were quite keen to grow up and see the cave for yourself, Buzz.”

The smile on Apoen’s face faded as they thought again. After a few moments, they continued, “But even someone like me can make mistakes. And my mistakes… were fatal. The Apple of Enlightenment told me of the two futures it saw back 10 years ago. One of those was Giygas’ attack on the village. I didn’t believe that future could come to pass. And yet… it did. Those horrible starships covered the sky, and told you of Giygas’ plan on that fateful day. And you, Buzz…”

“...I know.”

Apoen sighed. “The rest of the villagers were killed, and their houses were destroyed. I was safe in here, but powerless to stop it. I have lived with this knowledge since that day.”

A heavy silence hung in the air. Nobody moved for a few moments. It was like time had stood still. Buzz Buzz eventually hopped up onto Apoen’s right knee and looked up at them.

“...Are you sure you couldn’t have done anything?” he asked.

Apoen shook their head. “I’m afraid not.”

Apoen looked down at Buzz Buzz and told him, “But you can. You, and your friends; you all have the power to stop this. You’re all so strong… and you will only get stronger.” Apoen sniffled. “I’m proud of you for making it this far, Buzz. And I’m sure your mother is too.

Buzz Buzz quivered as he grabbed a portion of Apoen’s robe and hugged it. He didn’t let go for a long time.

Minutes had passed when Buzz Buzz finally let go. He twitched his wings twice, then buzzed back over to Tori, Gran and Leicra.

“You okay?” Tori softly asked.

“Yeah,” Buzz Buzz replied with a nod.

“You four have found and are now charging the Sound Stone, correct?” Apoen asked.

Tori nodded.

“I know of the last two Sanctuaries you seek. They are close to one another, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find them.” Apoen held out a hand and said, “Please, hand the Sound Stone to me for just a moment. I promise to return it.”

Tori hesitated, but got the Sound Stone out of her pocket and handed it to Apoen. Apoen clasped his hands together, and they glowed golden for a couple of seconds. Once the glow had died down, Apoen gave the Sound Stone back to Tori.

“There. I made sure that once it is full, the Sound Stone will take you to where you need to go next,” Apoen told the four. “For now, I will take you to where you must go next.”

Apoen held out both of their hands and said, “Place a hand on one of mine.”

The four did so, and another golden glow emanated from Apoen’s hands.

“I wish you all the best,” they smiled.

The golden glow filled the room, and in an instant, the four had been whisked away.


	15. Two Sanctuaries with One Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The only thing better than a regular rock is a talking rock!

The four found themselves sitting at the edge of a swamp when the golden light faded. There were sentient flowers, humanoid fish, and other things you’d generally want to avoid lurking in the swamp water. Behind them was a cave entrance.

They didn’t even go near the swamp, and instead went in the cave straight away, as any sensible person would. Inside, there were a dozen small, chubby, green creatures with thin, black arms and beady black eyes. They ambled around the cave and generally avoided eye contact with anyone.

After Buzz Buzz flew in effortlessly and Tori, Gran and Leicra squeezed inside, Tori greeted, “Hello!”

None of the creatures replied. The one that was near her scampered away.

“What’s their deal,” Tori muttered, putting her hands on her hips.

The other three looked around momentarily. Buzz Buzz darted over to another of the green creatures and landed on their shoulder. He tapped it, causing the creature to look at him with fearful eyes.

“Hello,” Buzz Buzz said softly, “could you perhaps tell us where we are?”

The creature glanced down at the ground and fiddled with their fingers. “...We’re shy…”

Buzz Buzz returned to the other three and told them, “Well they’re shy.

“Okayyy… And how do we get them to not be shy?” Tori asked.

“Tori, you can’t make someone not shy instantly,” Gran told her. “That kind of thing takes years to achieve.”

“And we don’t _have_ that time, Gran!” Tori replied, turning to face her.

“There’s probably someone in charge here,” Leicra said. “If we find them, we might be able to find something out.”

So the four went further into the cave, being careful not to accidentally tread on any of the creatures. Not too far away was a slightly taller green creature, who had a pair of black horns and a moustache, and a walking cane, sitting at a table. Buzz Buzz darted onto the table and cleared his throat, gaining the slightly taller creature’s attention.

“Excuse me, but do you know where we are?” Buzz Buzz asked.

The slightly taller creature was silent for a moment before replying, “...We’re all shy. Rumour, I heard a book to fix shyness, there is.”

The four let out a collective, “hrmm.”

“When was the last time… you went outside…?” Leicra asked.

The slightly taller creature thought for a moment, before answering, “Don’t remember.”

“Ah, well…” Buzz Buzz inhaled sharply as he thought. “The earth is kind of… _in darkness…_ It’s very… not good. And basically, we wouldn’t be able to get that book, because there’s a very good chance it got destroyed years ago.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“It doesn’t seem like these little critters will be saying much else to us, then,” Gran said as Buzz Buzz buzzed back to Tori’s shoulder.

“Well, the Sanctuary’s gotta be around,” Tori said, “we’ll just have to find it ourselves. Not that that’s ever been a problem, right?”

The four wandered down to the end of the cave, where two of the green creatures and a rock stood.

“Oh! Hey there!” the green creature farther away from the rock called out, waving.

“You can say other things?” Leicra awed.

As the four approached the creature, they replied, “Yup! I’m the only Tenda who has conversational skills here.”

Tori crouched down and asked the Tenda, “What else do you know.”

“Weeell…” the Tenda pointed behind the four and said, “There’s an inn over there; the guy running it has one thing he can say, and fortunately that’s asking if anyone wants to stay in his inn.”

The Tenda gestured to the rock nearby with their head and added, “And under that rock there’s a place filled with dinosaurs! But I ran all the way back, because I was so surprised! There’s also a whole ‘nother tribe of Tenda down there who are much better at conversation. And a talking rock!”

“A talking… rock?” Tori repeated.

“Yup!”

“Oh God…” Tori clutched her head as she muttered, “That’s… really weird. I think we should just rest up in that inn for now. Agreed?”

Buzz Buzz, Gran and Leicra nodded.

After a rest in the inn (which was a lot rockier than Tori had expected), the four were back in action. They wasted no time in heading back over to the rock they had met the talkative Tenda by.

“So. The rock,” Tori said to the Tenda she and the others had talked to before, “How do we move it.”

“The guy next to it can move it, but he doesn’t have conversational skills,” the Tenda replied, pointing at the other creature by the rock. They dashed behind the rock once they had figured out the first was talking about them.

Tori looked over at the rock for a few seconds, before looking back at the Tenda. “Ugh. Can’t you move it?”

“Nope, sorry. I’m not as strong as I look.”

Tori growled to herself. “Fine. I’ll just move it myself.”

She marched up to it and put her back to it. She attempted to push it aside, with very little success. Leicra soon joined her. The rock now visibly slid across the dry dirt. It took the combined strength of Tori, Leicra and Gran as well to move the rock over, though. And then… they fell in the hole that was covering. There was a rope there, but none of them managed to grasp it in time. Buzz Buzz was lucky enough to dart up from Tori’s shoulder just before she and the others fell. He then darted down into the cave after them and they had fallen with a **thud.**

“Are you guys okay?” Buzz Buzz asked.

Tori let out a groan, and replied, “Not really, no.”

“My ears are still ringing…” Leicra mumbled

“You-” Tori held up her finger and narrowed her eyes as she thought. “...Oh yeah. I remember now.”

Once Tori, Leicra and Gran had taken a few more moments to recover, they gingerly stood up, and Buzz Buzz perched himself on Tori’s shoulder again. The cave they had fallen into wasn’t very large. There were a couple patches of thin grass, and some small, green mushrooms. And a large rock with dents and points that made it look like it had a face. And naturally, rocks that looked like they had faces needed to be investigated.

The four approached the rock and stared long and hard at it.

“Didn’t that Tenda say there was a talking rock?” Leicra mused.

“Maybe this is it,” Gran said.

Tori turned to Leicra and Gran, saying, “Come on, guys. Just because it _looks_ like it has a face, doesn’t mean that it can ta-”

“Good evening.”

Tori let out a shriek. She spun back around to face the rock.

“I’m a talking rock.”

Buzz Buzz gave Tori a smug smile.

“But the rocks around here don’t talk too much.”

“Oh,” Leicra commented. “By chance, are you the only talking rock around here?”

“No. The rock that talks the most is deep down in the labyrinth a ways ahead… in the Lost Underworld.”

“Okay! There is another talking rock in the Lost Underworld! I will remember!” Leicra said.

“And there’s a labyrinth,” Tori grumbled.

“Don’t forget to talk to the rock! It’s important!”

As Tori walked to the entrance to the labyrinth, she yelled to the rock, “If we manage to get out of the maze, we will!”

Leicra gave the rock a polite wave as they and Gran followed Tori out.

Tori put her hands on her hips and huffed. “Okay. Maze. Let’s get it over with.”

The mazey caves were dark, cold and dry. And worst of all, there were enemies everywhere. The four found themselves in dead ends and wandering in circles more times than they liked to admit. It was tiring to go through, but everyone had gotten stronger. Tori had learned Paralysis Alpha and PSI Magnet Omega, Leicra had learned Offense Up Alpha and PK Water Beta, Gran learned PK Freeze Beta and Brainshock Alpha, and Buzz Buzz learned Shield Sigma.

But at the end, they found another one of the Chosen One’s Sanctuaries - a long, dark hall, with strange, fluorescent green rocks lining one wall. The strangest part of all is that only _some_ of the rocks glowed. But enough of them gave off light for the four to navigate the hall. At the end of the hall was a stretch of rocks lining the wall. The four stared at it in wide-eyed awe. A couple of minutes passed before Tori fished out the Sound Stone and held it up. With the Sound Stone charged at the hall, there was only one more Sanctuary left to find.

Some more of the rocks sparked into life, their glow spelling out a message: Good luck.

Buzz Buzz wiped away the tears that had formed in his eyes. Thankfully for him, nobody noticed.

The four dropped down into another hole - prepared, this time, of course. They fell for what seemed like forever. Air rushed past them, and there didn’t seem to be an end. Until there was. They fell on the ground with a heavy thud, like someone had thrown them to the ground. It took everyone a while before they could bring themselves to move. Tori had to splutter out a fit of coughs once she had sat herself up. While hard to read due to the nature of Starman shells, Leicra gave off tones of sickliness. Gran looked rattled, but otherwise okay, and Buzz Buzz had flown down instead.

The grass around them was dry, and smelt absolutely horrible. It wasn’t an identifiable smell, but it was undeniably awful. There were also palm trees scattered about in clusters. The rock walls were taller than most skyscrapers, and the sky… well, nobody could say, because they couldn’t see it. There was a ceiling made of rock, too. And yet, there was light.

“So… Is this the Lost Underworld?” Leicra asked, their voice barely above a murmur.

“I suppose it is,” Buzz Buzz replied, lightly flicking his wings as he landed back on Tori’s shoulder.

As if to interrupt, the ground beneath them shook fiercely. The deafening sound of the earth rumbling beneath them filled the air. It lasted for a few seconds, then returned to peace like nothing had happened. From not too far away, a geyser shot up into the air. The four were silent as they processed this new information.

“So… there’s light from an unknown source and earthquakes. Good to know,” Buzz Buzz stated.

With that, the four were off to explore more of the crazy world they had fallen into. The earthquakes turned out to be a lot more frequent than anyone had thought they would be. Not only that, but there were Tendas down there too. They met a couple of them in a pen about half a kilometer away from where they had landed. They were friendly, and a lot more talkative than any of them had expected, but inquizitive of their whereabouts.

“None of you are the one the talkative rock keeps yammering on about, are you?” one asked.

They weren’t, they assumed, then explained why they were in the crazy world and their entire goal.

“Ah,” the Tenda replied. “That makes enough sense to me. Good luck, by the way!”

The four continued upwards from there. During their trek, they felt  the earth shake underneath them again. But this time, it was in bursts, and not nearly as strong. A shadow loomed over them, and they looked up to see a giant, dull green reptile with a rounded black horn on the end of its snout and spines running from its neck down to the end of its tail.

Buzz Buzz stammered, “I-Is that a…”

“Is that a dinosaur?!” Tori finished.

“I don’t know what a “dinosaur” is, but, it’s kind of cute.” Leicra looked up at the dinosaur’s beady black eyes. It opened its mouth to reveal many sharp teeth. “And very scary…”

The four screamed simultaneously as the dinosaur roared at them.

The dinosaur raised a foot. Everyone ran away from the giant foot as the dinosaur slammed it down on the ground. Tori let loose a PK Fire Beta, and Leicra followed up with a PK Water Beta. Buzz Buzz used Shield Sigma, just in case anyone were to get hit, then promptly dived into Tori’s pocket.

The dinosaur turned somewhat, and raised its tail. Tori grabbed the Sound Stone and Buzz Buzz and held them both up in the air. The dinosaur’s tail hit Tori, Gran and Leicra and slammed them against a nearby rocky wall. Once the dinosaur pulled its tail away, Gran used Lifeup Beta on Tori and Leicra as quickly as she could, then on herself.

“Okay guys, I have a plan,” Tori said to the others. “I’m gonna try Paralysis on that guy, and if it works, we run.”

“What if it doesn’t?” Leicra asked.

“Attack it like mad and hope it goes down. That might work.”

Tori glared at the dinosaur, who was now stomping on the ground in place. She pointed at it with her free hand, and a stripy aura surrounded the dinosaur for a few moments as it revolved around it. The dinosaur froze mid-stomp, then fell onto the ground, shaking the ground.

“RUN!”

Everyone sprinted away from the dinosaur and towards another Tenda-made pen. They skidded to a halt in front of it. A couple of Tendas gave them odd looks as they stopped outside their pen.

Tori shoved Buzz Buzz and the Sound Stone back into her pocket, then shouted, “Let us in!”

The Tendas looking at her, Gran and Leicra were silent for a moment, before one asked, “Do you have any Tendakraut?”

“No, but we have a very important mission to do and we can’t do that if we get MURDERED BY A DINOSAUR!”

“Hm, yeah, that might be a problem.” One of the Tendas casually walked up to the gate and opened it. “Come on in. Don’t know why you were in the dinosaur cage, but whatever.”

Tori sputtered under her breath as she walked “out of” the “dinosaur cage”. Gran and Leicra came “out” behind her.

Another Tenda came up to the group and said, “Sorry that the Boss was like that. He’s been really aloof these days.”

“Oh, it’s alright,” Gran replied. “As long as we’re safe.”

 

“So do you guys have an inn, or anything?” Tori asked.

The Tenda pointed to a hut just across from them and said, “There’s one just over there!”

The group ambled over as Buzz Buzz peeped out from Tori’s pocket.

“Hello! We would like to stay here for a bit, please,” Gran said to the Tenda running the inn.

“Cool,” the Tenda replied, “that’ll be $400.”

“$400?!” Tori exclaimed. “We don’t have that kind of money! No one’s had that kind of money in _years!_ ”

The Tenda raised an eyebrow at her.

“It’s true,” Gran added. “Ever since Giygas successfully took over Earth, not many people have had a good sum of money. Most of it was burned, and anything else that was found was taken by those pig people that came about three years afterwards.”

“Oh.” The Tenda looked down at the ground and thought for a few moments before asking, “Is there anything you could give me for payment instead?”

The four collectively “umm”ed.

“What about that blue one’s bandana?” the Tenda asked, pointing at the bandana tied around the base of Leicra’s head.

“No!” Leicra yelped. They were silent for a moment before explaining evenly, “It’s a gift.”

“Ah. Well, you gotta give me _something,_ otherwise you’re not getting in.”

“We don’t _have_ anything else we could give him, do we?” Tori whispered to the others.

Leicra shook their head, and Gran just replied quietly, “No.”

The Tenda that had apologised to the group earlier sighed and came over. “Yo-ga, just let them in! They were fighting a dinosaur _,_ for goodness sake.”

The Tenda running the inn, Yo-ga, sighed, then droned, “Okay. You can stay for free. But only because Tendo said so.”

Tendo gave the four a smile with their eyes as the four walked into the inn.

They had a much better rest in the inn compared to the last Tenda inn they slept in. Once they were up and moving again, Tendo was waiting outside for them.

“Hello again! Did you have a good sleep?”

The four nodded.

“That’s good to hear. Have you visited the talkative Mystery Rock yet?”

“No… no yet,” Tori replied.

“Oh! That’s right! We were meant to talk to the most talkative rock!” Leicra exclaimed. “I may have forgot myself if it weren’t for you.”

Tendo smiled. “Not a problem!”

With Buzz Buzz perched on Tori’s shoulder, the four went over to the talkative rock.

“Hey, talkative rock dude,” Tori said, finger gunning.

“You finally came, Ness,” the rock replied after a moment. “Finally, you ta-”

Tori frowned with confusion. “What? I’m not Ness. I don’t know anyone called Ness, either.”

“But… you have the Sound Stone with you… I can feel its power…” the rock said.

“That is correct, we do have the Sound Stone with us!” Buzz Buzz said, flying off Tori’s shoulder. “We’re charging it for the chosen one.”

“Ah… That makes sense…” the rock was silent for a moment, before going on, “Have you reached all eight power spots yet?”

“Not yet… we still have one more to go to,” Buzz Buzz replied.

“I see… You are quite excellent heroes, all of you… The last of the power spots is southwest of here. It is called-”

“Sorrytointerruptagain, BUUUUUUT, could you please not tell us? It ruins the surprise,” Tori requested.

The rock was silent for another moment, before saying, “You are also… weird heroes… but I will follow your request. The final power spot is southwest of here. And as per request, I will not say what it is called. Even though someone else will…”

There was a pause. Leicra momentarily lost balance, then blinked.

“I do not know what your destiny entails, but I wish you well,” the rock concluded.

With that, Buzz Buzz returned to Tori’s shoulder, and the four headed off to the final Sanctuary. The way there was relatively quiet. There was only one other dinosaur, a purple quadrupedal one, which seemed more interested in eating the leaves off the palm trees. There was also a giant rock with a face. It was unlike the other rocks with faces the four had encountered in that one, it had an actual face, and not something that looked like a face, two, it didn’t talk, and three, it tried to squash them. It was a very traumatizing experience, encountering that giant rock.

The four soon found the cave in which the last Sanctuary was located. And oh boy, was it _hot._ One step inside and everyone was already melting. It didn’t help that there was literal lava coming out of mounds in the ground. Fiery spirits roamed both near the roof and on the ground of the cave. They weren’t too hard to deal with - just splashing them with PK Water Beta, a follow-up with PK Freeze Beta and then stomping on them like mad was enough to beat them. On the way, Tori learned PK Thunder Gamma, and Leicra remembered how to use PK Beam Gamma.

It was a long trek to the end of the caverns; it seemed even longer due to the insane heat. Everyone was more than happy to reach the final cave. Inside was a narrow path high off the ground, which led to a overflowing spring of lava. Tori got the Sound Stone out of her pocket and held it up. The Sound Stone charged, and the name of the final Sanctuary was whispered into the four’s minds: Fire Spring.

“Oh, just like I thought,” Leicra said.

Tori, Buzz Buzz and Gran turned to face them, looking at her with varying levels of curiosity and confusion.

“Just after the talkative rock said it wouldn’t tell us the name of this place on your request, I got a bit dizzy, and then, somehow, I just…” Leicra shrugged. “Something told me it was called Fire Spring.”

“That’s…” Tori trailed off.

“Weird,” Buzz Buzz finished.

“But we’ve been to all of the chosen one’s Sanctuaries now!” Tori cheered.

The Sound Stone, which was once a pearly white, had now become a pure blue, like the ocean on a bright and sunny day. It started glowing gold, and soon the golden glow had filled the entire cave.


	16. Touch-Tone Devil's Telephone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You thought you had seen the last of Taco, hadn’t you?

When the golden glow from the Sound Stone faded, the four were in a completely different cave. There was a surprisingly thick layer of green grass beneath their feet. The cave was filled with an inky black darkness - the landmasses were simply fixed in midair. Looming before them was a ginormous, alien building. It was made purely of metal, and had the strangest shape. And only a couple of paces away was someone most of them knew already.

As the four approached, Taco turned his head to them and said, “Oh, hello again!”

Tori waved frantically as she called out “Hiii!”

Buzz Buzz and Gran waved as well. Leicra simply looked from their friends, then to Taco.

Taco turned fully to the four as he asked, “How’s life been treating you dears?”

“Well, uh… Pretty good!” Tori replied.

“Yes, we’ve had some bumps in the road, but we’re still kicking!” Gran added.

“That’s wonderful to hear.” Taco looked over at Leicra and asked, “And who’s your new intergalactic friend over here, darlings?”

Tori practically leaped over to Leicra and told Taco, “This is Leicra! We met them back in Autumns - they’re super cool!”

Leicra shyly held up one hand and waved, while the other played at their bandana. “U-Uh, hello. It is nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, darling.” Taco held out a lavender-gloved hand for a handshake, and Leicra tentatively took it. Taco shook Leicra’s hand firmly, and let go after a few seconds.

“Your hand is quite cold,” Leicra commented, still looking at Taco’s hand.

Taco glanced down at Tori now holding his left hand to her face, then looked back at Leicra. “And your’s was incredibly warm - are you okay, darling?”

“We were just at one of the caves in the Lost Underworld,” Buzz Buzz explained, buzzing up to Taco. “Warm is a very large understatement.”

“Ah, I see! Well, I’m glad none of you melted in that heat.”

“It totally felt like I was gonna though,” Tori interjected.

“So, why are you here, Taco?” Gran asked.

Taco turned back to face the strange building. “I’m here to investigate the technology that’s used here,” he explained. “I have a feeling that knowing what the Starmen use will help me in the long run.”

“Starmen? What is this place, exactly?” Tori, no longer pressing Taco’s hand to her face, asked.

“This is the Starman Stronghold.”

The four all went wide-eyed. Tori made a sound similar to spitting out a drink.

“Starman _Stronghold?!_ ” Tori echoed in disbelief.

“Yes, dear.”

“So if we’ve fully charged the Sound Stone, does that mean… we have to try and end the current war now?” Leicra asked.

“I… I think so…” Buzz Buzz murmured.

“Wait a second - you four are trying to _stop the Starman-Pigmask war?!_ ” Taco questioned, spinning around to face the four.

“Yeah. And also fix the world, because Giygas wasn’t supposed to successfully conquer Earth,” Tori added.

Taco put a hand to his forehead. “Oh my God…”

“Yeah, we’ve been up to a lot since the last time we met,” Buzz Buzz said.

“I’d say! You’re out saving the world now!” Taco paused before adding, “...Which is awesome! You four are going to make the best heroes ever!”

Taco turned back toward the Starman Stronghold. “I have a feeling that going into the stronghold alone won’t end well for me. How would you four like to join me?”

“Hell yeah! I’d love to!” Tori cheered.

Gran and Leicra nodded, and Buzz Buzz added, “Of course!”

A grin of his own appeared on Taco’s face. “Right then! Let’s get going, shall we?”

Taco marched right up to the strange door of the strange stronghold, and the four followed right behind him. Buzz Buzz landed back on Tori’s shoulder as the latter made a Starman illusion for herself. She then fell back to walk beside Gran.

“So, Gran,” Tori whispered, “how do _you_ know Taco?”

“He was the one who taught some of the Shamblers back in Shambler Village how to make tea!” Gran smiled. “He’s a lovely young man.”

Tori was silent for a moment as she and the others entered the stronghold. “He’s older than me.”

“Well of course he’s older than you,” Buzz Buzz quietly told her, “you’re only 22. I’m older than you, too.”

“You are?!” Tori replied, raising her voice a bit too much. She was given a quick “shh” from Taco. Whispering again, Tori finished, “...You looked, like, 18!”

Buzz Buzz let out a confused chuckle. Then a yelp as Tori walked directly into Taco’s back, causing Buzz Buzz to fall off Tori’s shoulder.

Taco was standing with a hand to his chin. He glanced around as he hummed with thought.

As Buzz Buzz returned to Tori’s shoulder, Tori asked, “What’s up?”

“...I’m surprised we’ve made it in this far without detection,” Taco said. “I can’t imagine that the Starmen would be having a _lax day._ It’s strange.” He looked over his shoulder at the four. “Stay alert.”

With that, Taco continued walking through the entrance of the Starman Stronghold. The inside was barren of furniture or a computer of any kind. The only thing indicating there was anyone keeping the stronghold running was the blinking lights on the ceiling. The spacious room itself was surprisingly well-lit for how empty it was.

The group reached the door leading to the rest of the stronghold with no troubles. Taco put his hand on the scanpad next to the door… only for it to get zapped by a surge of electricity. Taco pulled back his hand and shook it rapidly.

An alarm blared throughout the room, and within a few moments, eight Starmen had teleported into the room. They circled around the group and steadily came closer.

“Tori, Buzz Buzz, dears, did you know that PK Beam Alpha isn’t the only PSI move I know?” Taco asked, his hands raised, readying for an attack.

“Nooo….” Tori replied. “What else do you know?”

“Watch this.”

Taco raised his left hand into the air. A small pool of cosmic PSI formed around it, and steadily grew larger until it loomed over the entire group. Yellow, blue and white stars flew out of the cosmic pool. They burst upon impact with the enemy Starmen, flashing brightly. Just one bout of stars was enough to take out all eight Starmen.

Tori stood wide-eyed and mouth agape for several seconds. She looked up at Taco and questioned, “What was THAT?!”

“PK Starstorm,” he replied, putting his hands into his pockets.

“That was AWESOME! That had to be, like, the highest level there is, right?”

Taco laughed. “No, dear. That was the Alpha level.”

Tori sputtered.

“Come on, we’ve still got the rest of the stronghold to explore.”

Taco reached out to put his hand on the scanpad, but was shocked once again.

“Oh, that’s right.”

Leicra edged past Taco and put their hand on the scanpad. There was no shock. A bar on the scanpad zipped up and down the screen, then the pad glowed green. Leicra removed their hand from the pad, and the door in front of them opened up. Taco and the four made their way out of the stronghold’s entrance and into an almost untouched space between the other areas of the stronghold. The grass was still present on the ground, and there was no roof above them. Though the space felt tight due to the other areas of the stronghold standing so close to one another, two benches were managed to be squeezed into the area. Several Starmen of differing ranks ambled around and talked to one another.

The door shut behind Taco and the four with a echoing **slam,** gaining the attention of all the other Starmen. They all stared for an uncomfortably long time, in an equally uncomfortable silence.

“Uh,” one Starman finally spoke up, “didn’t the alarm just go off in there?”

“It did! But it was a false one,” Leicra replied. The Starman who had spoken up squinted at them.

With a nudge, a Starman Super sitting next to the Starman said, “Come on, P, you know Leicra wouldn’t lie to us. Didn’t you work with them once?”

“Yeah, but, with what Captain Astra’s been saying-” P objected.

The Starman Super lowered his upper eyelid. “Astra’s full of crap.”

“And Major Deluxe…?” a Blue Starman further away called out. “Major Deluxe sent back a report to the Finals!”

“Major Deluxe, as much as we love him, isn’t the most reliable source of info,” the Starman Super replied.

“But he’s straight to the point,” the Blue Starman argued, crossing their arms.

“Are we all going to ignore the other Starman with Leicra…?” another Starman asked.

All the Starmen fell silent again as they stared at Tori.

“Oh, they’re a newbie!” Leicra told the Starmen, shuffling up to Tori. “I thought I would show them around the stronghold!”

“Annnnd the human…?”

“He’s… also a newbie! He wanted to join us, so I thought taking him here would be a good choice.”

All the Starmen were silent for a few moments.

“And let me guess - the Shambler is _also_ a newbie?” the Starman asked.

Leicra nodded.

“...Checks out with me,” the Starman Super said.

“Yeah, and I bet you’re _reeeeal_ happy with it, too,” the Blue Starman said. “We all know what happened with Zeta and the old second-in-command. This new human’s probably gonna turn out just the same.”

“Don’t be such a pessimist, Azure,” a Ghost of Starman nearby frowned.

“Yeah, we’ve still got a bunch of human recruits with PSI that are still loyal to Lord Giygas,” a Starman Super standing next to the Ghost of Starman added.

Azure glanced away from the Ghost of Starman and the Starman Super. “Only because he brainwashed them…”

The Ghost of Starman cleared his throat. “Anyway, if I were you, Leicra, I’d take those newbies to the Tech Dev tower first. It’s the second one on the right - there’s a door there in the main building.”

“Ah, okay! Thank you, Colonel!” Leicra said. They led Taco, Tori, Gran and Buzz Buzz into the main building.

Once they were inside, Tori asked Leicra, “You know that guy?”

“No, I was just being polite,” Leicra replied. “If you don’t know the name or the production number of another Starman, you refer to them by what rank they would have. That is, if their model has one. Starmen and Starman Juniors never do.”

“Why not?”

“They’re never put in charge of squadrons.”

Tori nodded.

“So is it like calling a human a mister or a miss, dear?” Taco asked.

“Yes! Like that,” Leicra answered.

Buzz Buzz buzzed his wings, gaining the others’ attention.

“We just passed the Tech Dev tower, guys!” he said.

The group walked back a few paces. A screen embedded in the wall next to a door read “Tech Dev tower”. Everyone walked up to it, and the door slid down on its own. They then walked inside the tower.

The first floor of the tower resembled a waiting room - a singular desk near the entrance, with a Blue Starman standing at it, and several seats lined up around the room. The only thing that was missing from this otherwise strangely human set was the copious amounts of posters with bright block letters.

The Blue Starman at the desk looked over at the group as they entered the first floor. “Hey there! I wasn’t expecting anyone to come in today…” He took another, closer look at the group, then raised an eyebrow. “Newbies, huh?”

Leicra nodded. “I’m showing them around. I was suggested to come here first.”

The Blue Starman at the desk’s face lit up. “Well whoever told you that had the right idea!” He bent over and muttered, “I know I’ve got maps down here somewhere…”

A few moments later, the Blue Starman stood back up with a map in hand, laughing triumphantly. He handed the map to Leicra and told them, “Everything you need to know about this tower in right on there. Also, it folds out. If you ask me, it’s a clunky design. You’d think the Starmen put in charge of making them would do better, seeing as we’ve got all this technology…”

The four and Taco observed the map for a few minutes. They fumbled with the folds, and absorbed as much as possible. That Blue Starman wasn’t kidding about the map having a clunky design. Once they had fully observed the map of the Tech Dev tower, it was off to the first floor - the Programming Dev floor. But not before the Blue Starman at the desk made an announcement: “Attention, everyone - #3827-γ and a few newbies with them will be going through the tower. They’re just showing them around, okay? Thanks! #1274-γ over and out!”

The Programming Dev floor was filled to the brim with wide-screened Starman computers. Starmen and Blue Starman sat at one each, typing away. According to a Blue Starman Leicra asked, there was no need to have someone overseeing the floor. The Programming Dev floor was the most peaceful, not that the group really needed to be told that - they could hear faint explosions and a roaring crowd a few floors up. The programming the Starmen on the floor was for various programs and systems. Sometimes, buggy programs would be taken to the floor to get fixed. After hanging around for a little while, Leicra led the rest of the group up to the next floor.

The second floor was the Enhancement Dev floor. Whether it was for Starmen or the other troops in Giygas’ army, they were made on that floor. Though most of the time, the various Starmen would make enhancements for other Starmen. A lot of said enhancements were very experimental - the team on the floor got sparks flying regularly. But there was no ill will between them. The four and Taco watched the Starmen on the floor make the finishing touches to a PSI-boosting enhancement, then went up to the next floor.

Next up were the Battle Tech Dev floors. Yes, there were two Battle Tech Dev floors - the first one was for the other troops of Giygas’ army, and the second was for the Starmen. None of the group could make heads or tails of why there were two floors of Battle Tech Dev, but didn’t ask any of the Starmen. The Battle Tech Dev floors were the source of the explosions and cheering they had heard back down on the Programming Dev floor, so they didn’t stick around for long.

The final floor was the Aid Tech Dev floor. The Starmen on the floor didn’t like the Battle Tech Dev Starmen very much, what with their explosions and general noisiness. The Starmen on the Aid Tech Dev floor were much more peaceful - they made tech designed to help heal the troops on the battlefield.

As the four and Taco were observing the Aid Tech Dev’s team at work from the side, Leicra momentarily lost balance. They were caught by Taco, who asked, “Are you okay, darling?”

“Ah, yes, I am fine. I just got a little dizzy for a moment, it’s nothing new. I’m fine.” Leicra stood back up and said, “I think we’ve stayed here long enough. We should head down the tower and go to the very end of the main building.”

“Okay, Leicra! Lead the way!” Tori said.

So after a quick goodbye to the Aid Tech Dev team, Leicra led the others down the Tech Dev tower. They waved goodbye to #1274-γ as they exited the tower, then walked down to the very end of the main building. At the very end of the main building was a room containing the Starman Servers - advanced connections between each area of the Starman Stronghold, and even out to the other Starman bases across the earth. How did they find this out so soon? It was on a sign next to the door.

A Final Starman stood at the other end of the room, next to a very important-looking phone booth-esque machine. An all-too-familiar Starman Super was in front of him, with a Starman Junior with regular Starman enhancements at the ends of his arms and legs.

“I’m telling you, we need to tell Lord Giygas about them _now!_ ” Captain Astra yelled.

“And how do we know you’re not just blowing their goals way out of proportion?” the Final Starman retorted. “You’ve done a great job of pinpointing those spots, now for the love of the stars, could you _not screw up the rest of your duties?!_ ”

“ _I’m_ going to be the one screwing up? I think _you’re_ going to be the one screwing up if you don’t listen to me!”

“I won’t be if you keep spouting nonsense, Astra!”

“That’s _Captain_ Astra to you!”

The Final Starman jabbed Captain Astra’s chest. “And it’s _General_ Genesis to you.” General Genesis retracted his hand. “Get out. Now.”

Captain Astra grumbled, “Come on, Elex.” With that, he spun on his heel and walked to the door. The Starman Junior with him, Elex, trailed behind him. Now that Elex was facing the group’s direction, they could see that his emblem was red instead of the usual black.

Captain Astra squinted at Leicra as he passed by. “You better not screw something up yourself, _Blue._ ”

Once Captain Astra and Elex had left, General Genesis let out a sigh of relief. He looked over at the group and said, “You caught the tail end of that, didn’t ya? Sorry about that.”

He walked up to the group and said, “I’m #1-Ω, General Genesis. Pleasure to meet you. You would be the Blue Starman who’s showing those newbies around today, I assume?”

“How did you know?” Leicra asked.

“Everyone in the stronghold does by now. #1274-γ sent out a message to the rest of the stronghold once you had gone up to the first floor of the Tech Dev tower,” General Genesis explained.

“Oh.” Leicra was silent for a moment before pointing to the phone booth-esque machine and asking, “What’s that over there?”

General Genesis looked over to see the machine Leicra was pointing at, then back at Leicra. “I’m so glad you asked!” He walked back over to the machine, with Leicra and the others following, as he explained, “That’s the Devil’s Telephone! We use it to communicate with Lord Giygas. He’s a bit, uh, unstable, but the Devil’s Telephone gets his messages translated quite well!”

The four and Taco stared at it for a few moments before Tori looked over at General Genesis and asked him, “So you really don’t like that guy that just went out, do ya.”

General Genesis frowned and crossed his arms. “To be frank, I don’t think anyone outside his squadron does. I sure don’t. He’s a damn Ru-nuun transfer, so I shouldn’t be too surprised. Yet… here I am.”

Tori raised an eyebrow. “Ru-nuun?”

“Oh, right, you’re a newbie, you wouldn’t know!” General Genesis laughed a little to himself before explaining, “Lord Giygas isn’t the only one who commands us Starmen. The others who command Starmen are called Zanue. There’s many Zanue armies all across the galaxies, all with different emblems. The one Astra was from was the Ru-nuun. They’re very attack-focused. I don’t like them. Our army, however, is much more balanced! We’re all part of the Gysienn.”

Tori and Taco nodded.

As Leicra looked around the room, they noticed Gran was standing oddly still. They stepped over to her, put a hand to her arm and asked, “Are you okay?”

“...I’m fine,” Gran whispered.

“Oh, #3827-γ! Would you like to talk to Lord Giygas with the Devil’s Telephone?” General Genesis asked.

Leicra looked over at General Genesis, then answered, “Okay!”

“Cool. I’ve been dying to get a break,” General Genesis said. As he walked over to the door, he told the group, “I’ll be back in a few minutes!”

Once the door had closed behind General Genesis, Tori said to Leicra, “Leicra, you’re a genius!”

“...I am?”

“You sure are! Now we can get Giygas to stop fighting the Pigmasks!”

“That’s a lot easier said than done,” Buzz Buzz commented.

“But we’ve got a chance! Now hurry up and take it!”

Leicra shuffled up to the Devil’s Telephone and held it. A droning tone played, before a soft static quietly came through the phone.

“...Who is this… now?” a voice from the phone asked.

“#3827-γ, Lord Giygas. #1-Ω gave me permission to use the Devil’s Telephone to contact you,” Leicra answered.

“Is that s o…?” Giygas paused before saying, “Very well. T e l l m e w hat you need to.”

Leicra was silent for a couple of moments as they thought. “...Lord Giygas, I… I think you should cease attacks against the Pigmasks.”

There was a crackle of static before Giygas shouted, “WHAT?! What is this drivel drivel drivel that y o u… are telling m e…”

After another static crackle, Leicra replied, “I know it sounds absurd, sir, but…! Please, listen! Think of all the resources that could be saved if we ceased fire! If we can just convince them to move elsewhere…”

Giygas growled. “...You… have a point… about the resources. But simply t a l k i n g to the enemy does not seem l i k e i t will work…”

“Trust me, sir. I will find a way to get through to them.”

“...A Blue Starman…? Trying to end our war against the Pigmasks…? They will not listen to you..”

“I-” Leicra was silent for a few moments. A few moments too long, to Giygas.

“...Well, sol d i e r…?”

“...I _will_ find a way to make the enemy cease attacks against us, sir. I promise.”

The soft static from Giygas’ end of the telephone was all that filled the room for a few seconds.

“Very well. Do not let me down… #3827-γ…”

There was a click from the Devil’s Telephone, then silence filled the air.

“...I did not expect that to work,” Leicra finally commented.

“But it did,” Tori replied.

A golden glow shone through Tori’s Starman illusion. Everyone’s attention was directed right to it.

“What’s going on there?” Taco asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Uh, magic that’s gonna get us to where we really need to be,” Tori hurriedly replied. “Not much stopping it!”

“There’s no stopping it at all,” Buzz Buzz corrected, looking at Taco.

Tori held out the Sound Stone, now brightly glowing, and said with a wave, “Bye Taco see ya later maybe!”

“I hope you get out of the stronghold okay!” Leicra added.

With that, the Sound Stone’s golden glow filled the room, leaving a very confused Taco when it faded.


	17. The Spliced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another reunion! Just… not a good one.

Buzz Buzz, Tori, Leicra and Gran found themselves back on the surface of Earth once again when the golden light faded. They were in a field of dry, thin grass, which was almost completely barren. A large, white building surrounded by spiked fencing stood by its lonesome just a few meters away. Tori dropped her Starman illusion with the sparkle of her hands.

“So… Where are we now?” Gran asked, looking around.

“A Chimera lab!” Tori answered. Everyone looked at her with surprise.

“You know this place?” Leicra asked.

“Well, I haven’t visited it, but that’s definitely a Chimera lab.”

“And what exactly _is_ a Chimera?” Buzz Buzz asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You don’t-?!” Tori sighed. “...Chimeras are, frankly put, freaks of nature. There’s the organic Chimeras, which are mixtures of two or more creatures, and then there’s the mechanical ones, which are… they’re just cyborgs. Really angry cyborgs.”

Everyone was silent for a few moments.

“...Let’s try to make this visit as quick as possible,” Buzz Buzz finally said. Everyone agreed.

The front door to the lab was already unlocked. Buzz Buzz voiced concern over it, but Tori didn’t seem to bothered.

“I always do a bunch of jobs for the doc, I’m a pretty common sight around Chimera labs. The doc sometimes teaches me about making ‘em, too!” Tori explained as she and the others walked into the lab. “Good thing I liked biology in high school.”

The Chimera lab was empty. Cold and empty. The lights were still on, at least.

“Are Chimera laboratories usually this empty…?” Leicra asked.

“Nope,” Tori replied. “Maybe no one’s attending this one right now.”

“But if that were the case, wouldn’t the door be locked?” Gran asked.

“Hm. That’s a good point.”

Deciding not to stand around and dwell any further on the subject, Tori led Gran and Leicra further into the Chimera lab, with Buzz Buzz perched on her shoulder. There wasn’t a lot to see around the halls of the lab - just the blue hexagonal tiles of the floor and the circular doors all lined up on the left. They checked the rooms on the other side of each and every one. Most were simply empty, like the rest of the lab. There was one in particular that caught the four’s attention, near the end of the hallway. It appeared to be a storage room of sorts, containing an assortment of parts from an assortment of animals in green jars on the shelves. In the left corner of the room was a pile of what appeared to be scrap metal. Buzz Buzz flew off Tori’s shoulder and onto the pile of metal.

As Buzz Buzz crawled about on the pile of metal, Leicra looked over at Tori. “You seemed surprised that Buzz Buzz didn’t know what a Chimera was. Why is that?”

Tori furrowed her brow. “Well, I thought that the Starmen might have tried their hands at making Chimeras, probably to try and understand how the Pigmasks did it and outdo them. I was thinking that Buzz Buzz, when I first found him, was an attempt at a mechanical Chimera, but I guess not…”

From atop the pile of metal, Buzz Buzz noted, “Hm. These are Starman shells.” He flew back onto Tori’s shoulder and added, “But the Starmen wouldn’t make Chimeras. That would be sinking down to their level, in their eyes.”

Tori squinted at him. “What makes you so sure?”

“...Instinct.”

The four carried on exploring the empty Chimera lab. They poked their heads into more empty rooms before heading up to the next floor. The second floor was just as empty as the first. There was a low, rumbling noise from far away - Tori just assumed that it was either a machine left idling somewhere, or everyone was hearing things. Either way, it wasn’t anything to worry about.

The second room that the four looked into had something of interest. It was dark, and the only source of light was the computer sitting at the other end of the room. The screen was left on a folder of files.The four curiously crept up to the idling computer, and Tori sat down in the computer chair. The first few files were named in similar fashion: “Project Aw3s0m3 Entry”, and then whatever number entry it was. The rest were name differently: “Take Two Entry”, then whatever number entry it was.

“That’s a lot of entries for a project… A lot more than I’ve ever seen in one place,” Leicra commented.

“You guys wanna check ‘em out?” Tori asked.

Leicra looked around, then nodded. Tori opened the first of the Project Aw3s0m3 logs and read it aloud.

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 1.

Jan 3, 200X.

We have managed to obtain a Starman and research its physiology. We are still in need of a subject for the project.”

Tori paused. “Well that was boring.”

“...I’m… curious…” Leicra murmured, “...about what they were planning to do with that Starman…?”

Tori opened the next of the Project Aw3s0m3 logs.

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 2.  
Jan 4, 200X.

A man who I have never seen before has been brought into the lab. The foot soldiers who brought him in say they found him in a strange machine that had landed north of the lab. Since no one has volunteered, we will be using this man as the human base for Project Aw3s0m3 - the first ever human/Starman Chimera.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 3.  
Jan 5, 200X.

The Chimerization finished just an hour ago. Project Aw3s0m3 is currently undergoing post-Chimerization fatigue, as expected. He is estimated to recover in another two days.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 4.  
Jan 7, 200X.

Project Aw3s0m3 has fully recovered from his post-Chimerization fatigue. Since this Chimera has the potential to be quite powerful, we will give him another day to get used to his new self. We have run diagnostics on his PSI capabilities. They are much larger than we could have ever imagined, and the newly-added Starman parts have only added to it. We may have to remodel him with higher-ranking Starman parts if he grows powerful enough.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 5.  
Jan 9, 200X.

Project Aw3s0m3 has begun his PSI training. He picked up PK Beam Alpha very quickly. He shows a lot of promise. With further training, we can have him use the Omega level in just over a month. We have also begun thinking of a proper name for him.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 6.  
Jan 11, 200X.

A meeting was held for us to decide on a formal name for Project Aw3s0m3. We have decided on the name Starmera.

Project Aw3s0m3’s training with PK Beam Alpha is nearing completion. We will soon move on to PK Beam Beta.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 7.  
Jan 12, 200X.

Project Aw3s0m3 has started refusing to obey our orders. A meeting will be held to figure out what to do about this.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 8.  
Jan 13, 200X.

Our meeting yesterday brought no immediate results. Our best course of action is contacting the lab on the Nowhere Islands to see if they have any ideas. In the meantime, we will continue to try and train Project Aw3s0m3 to the best of our ability.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 9.  
Jan 17, 200X.

We have just finished contacting the Nowhere Islands Chimera lab. Their half human Chimera has not been trouble for them so far, so they were unsure of what to do.

Project Aw3s0m3 is becoming increasingly angry at us. We may have to put him into the containment area if his behaviour continues or grows worse.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 10.  
Jan 19, 200X.

Project Aw3s0m3 has gone missing from the Chimera lab. The machine his human base was found in has gone missing as well. He could have gone anywhere in the world. We have notified the other 200X Chimera labs of this, and have requested that if they see him, to apprehend him immediately.

We are unsure of where to go next with human/Starman Chimeras as of this log.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 - Entry 11.  
Feb 10, 200X.

I have filed a request for more Starmen to be brought to the lab. Dead or alive, it doesn’t matter. I realised that had we used any other human for Project Aw3s0m3, their PSI abilities would be lacking. If we are to truly understand the Starmen’s physiology, we need to separate their metal shells from whatever may be inside.”

The four were dead silent.

“Well,” Gran murmured, “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“What about the Take Two entries?” Leicra asked.

“Oh boy, here we go,” Tori muttered under her breath as she opened the first of the Take Two logs.

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 1.  
Jun 12, 200X.

The Starmen and their separated shells that I requested back in February have arrived. There are more to the Starmen than I originally thought - they are whole organic beings underneath the shells! I must remember to give my thanks to the soldier who hunted down and deshelled the Starmen.”

Tori stared at the entry log for a couple of moments, then glanced at Buzz Buzz. Buzz Buzz shared her wide-eyed expression.

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 2.  
Jun 17, 200X.

Fully analyzing the deshelled Starmen took much longer than I originally thought. While our data is not 100% complete, as there is certain information we are only able to get if the specimen is alive, our understanding of Starmen has grown significantly. We are ready to make another human/Starman Chimera at any time.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 3.  
Jun 19, 200X.

We have just received word that the soldier who deshelled the Starmen would be willing to undergo Chimerization for us. He will be coming over to the lab tomorrow. We are eternally grateful for his contributions, both present and future.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 4.  
Jun 20, 200X.

Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two’s Chimerization finished half an hour ago. He is currently undergoing post-Chimerization fatigue, as expected. He is estimated to recover in two days. Since the human base does not have PSI, it will be interesting to find out how the Starman genetics will influence this aspect. We are formally naming Take Two Starmera 2.0. The original Project Aw3s0m3 will be formally known as Starmera 1.0.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 5.  
Jun 22, 200X.

Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two has fully recovered from his post-Chimerization fatigue. Like with the original Project Aw3s0m3, we will give Take Two another day to get used to his new self. We have run diagnostics on his PSI capabilities, and the results are better than we expected. Take Two has a “PP Pool” of 90 points. I am very glad that Take Two has the ability to use PSI - I’m not sure what we would do if he didn’t.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 6.  
Jun 24, 200X.

Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two has begun hsi PSI training. His growth, as expected, as a lot slower than the original Project Aw3s0m3’s. We are expecting Take Two to master PK Beam Alpha in about a month.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 7.  
Jul 1, 200X.

Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two has mastered PK Beam Alpha much quicker than he anticipated. He must be very determined to be the best he can be. We have estimated that he will master PK Beam Beta in a week or two.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 8.  
Jul 3, 200X.

We previously had no troubles with Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two’s diet, as we had learned from his behaviour that Starmen may have very slow metabolism. Earlier, I went to go get some lunch when I found that all my donuts had vanished from the fridge. I asked my colleagues where they had gone, and they said that they seen Take Two with all of them. I asked Take Two about it - he openly admitted to eating all of them. I am unsure whether it is Starmen or Take Two’s human base that has a sweet tooth.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 9.  
Jul 11, 200X.

Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two has mastered PK Beam Beta. We advised him to take a rest for a day or two, but he ignored us. He has already started trying for PK Beam Gamma. This near-constant training is harmful for Take Two. We will have to find a way to get him to rest.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 10.  
Jul 12, 200X.

We have made a place in the break room for Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two. If we can lure him in, we will be able to use sleeping gas on him and get him to rest. We may have to erase his human bases’ memories. They may be the reason Take Two wants to train constantly.”

“Project Aw3s0m3 Take Two - Entry 11.  
Jul 12, 200X.

He outsmarted us.”

Tori looked at the bottom right-hand corner of the computer screen.

“Crap,” she muttered. “July 12 is _today._ ”

A slow tapping came from outside the room.

“It is.”

The four turned around to see a humanoid figure leaning in the doorway. He wore a helmet similar to the Pigmask helmet, but his had a visor instead of eyeholes, and had a distinct shine. He wore a custom made Starman shell with the head removed. The rest of the shell was near identical to a normal Starman shell, the only difference was the Pigmask’s emblem in place of the Gysienn emblem. Some thick, cream-coloured fur poked out from the small space between his helmet and his shell.

“I thought you and those others would show your faces around here eventually,” the humanoid said. “Yeah, it’s me, Starmera 2.0.”

Buzz Buzz darted into Tori’s pocket, then peeped out.

“You think you’re something special, rebelling from the army?” Starmera 2.0 scoffed. “Get real. You might have PSI, and you might be a rebel, but nobody’s going to remember you.”

He walked inside the dimly lit room. “But me? Everyone’s going to remember me.”

Starmera 2.0 held out his hands, then fired a PK Beam Beta. Tori ducked, and the beam barely flew over her head. It instead hit the computer, burning a hole in the screen.

Tori gritted her teeth. “Ooh boy, the doc is _not_ gonna be happy with that.”

She stood up as she added, “And how’s he gonna feel when I tell him that his prized Starmera was the one who did it?”

Starmera 2.0 froze for a moment, then hunched his shoulders. Buzz Buzz fell back into Tori’s pocket and cast PSI Shield Sigma.

“And there you go again, with the random PSI Shields,” Starmera 2.0 muttered. He fired another PK Beam Beta, only for it to dissipate when it hit Tori’s PSI Magnet Alpha.

Leicra fired a PK Beta Gamma at Starmera 2.0, hitting him right in the stomach and turning his attention towards them.

“You!” he growled. “You’re the one who Beamed me back in Summers, aren’t you?!”

“That would be correct, yes,” Leicra replied. “I do not think this is the time for a conversation, however?”

Starmera 2.0 huffed. “I hate it when my enemies are right.”

He dived at Leicra, outstretching a hand for their bandana. Leicra smacked the back of his helmet when he got within range, sending him to the floor.

“Good work, Leicra!” Gran cheered.

Tori strode over to the fallen Starmera 2.0 and used PSI Magnet on him yet again. Leicra followed up with another PK Beam Gamma. Starmera 2.0 gingerly got up onto his knees, then grabbed Leicra’s leg. He pulled them down to the floor. Leicra fell down on their back with a loud, ringing **clang.**

“And I bet _you_ think you’re some kind of big shot, with that bandana,” Starmera 2.0 growled to Leicra, who was frantically sitting up. “There’s a _reason_ Giygas took all of you off the battlefield.”

Starmera 2.0 held a hand out and charged up another PK Beam Beta. Though the sound of it was drowned out by the charging of the PK Beam Beta, Buzz Buzz darted out of Tori’s pocket and rammed his horn against Starmera 2.0’s back as hard as possible. Starmera 2.0 lost focus, and let the beam fire early. He looked around.

“The hell was that,” he muttered to himself.

Buzz Buzz darted back into Tori’s pocket.

“...Hm. Weird.” He looked up at Tori and asked, “It was you, wasn’t it?”

“What?” Tori asked.

Starmera 2.0 growled. “Acting dumb again, are ya? God damn it, I should have figured you would!”

Starmera 2.0 got to his feet. Sparks danced at Tori’s fingertips, and she let loose a PK Thunder Gamma. Dark clouds lined the ceiling, and three bolts of lightning shot down from them. The first missed. The second struck Starmera 2.0. The third he narrowly dodged.

Starmera 2.0 chuckled under his breath. “You know you can’t beat me. Use PK Thunder Gamma as much as you’d like. It won’t be enough to defeat me.”

Starmera 2.0 fired another PK Beam Beta at Tori. It successfully hit her.

“I’m still gonna try,” Tori growled.

“Good luck with that. Unlike you, I was built to la-”

Starmera 2.0 was cut off by the chilling wind of a PK Freeze Beta surrounding him. The wind turned to ice that encased him, then burst.

“Don’t be so full of yourself,” Gran sternly told Starmera 2.0. “There’s a difference between stating facts and bragging.”

Starmera 2.0 huffed. He fired a PK Beam Beta at her, too. The fight continued on for a while. Starmera 2.0 would fire beams, Tori would used PSI Magnet, then fire a PK Thunder Gamma or a PK Fire Beta, and Leicra would throw in PK Beam Gammas whenever they saw the chance. Gran had to heal with Lifeup Beta and Buzz Buzz had to set up PSI Shield Sigma on occasion, but they mostly stayed out of the fight. Starmera 2.0 was right - he _was_ built to last. Even with the most powerful PSI attacks Tori and Leicra could muster, it didn’t seem like they would beat him anytime soon. The battle got to a point where everyone involved was running low on PP - Tori had been from the start, since her PSI Illusion drained almost all of her PP while she was in the Starman Stronghold, and Leicra and Starmera 2.0’s continuous use of their highest level PK Beam was starting to drain their PP pool.

Though his breathing was now ragged, Starmera 2.0 commented, “Taking down you lot was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I didn’t think you would get me to run out of PP. But I made you run out of PP too. I can still beat you. This will pay off.”

Starmera 2.0 lunged for Tori, shoulder out in an attempt to tackle her to the ground. Tori stepped out of the way, then kicked him. Starmera 2.0 grabbed Tori’s leg, then swung her over his shoulder and threw her to the ground. Gran rushed to her side and helped up her back, giving her a Lifeup Beta as well. Tori waited for Starmera 2.0 to run up close to her. Once he did, she uppercutted him. Starmera 2.0 stumbled backwards, then shook his head as if to shake off his pain. Tori looked past Starmera 2.0’s shoulder, then smirked.

“You know what also pays off? Being on guard.”

Starmera 2.0 put his hands on his hips. “Hah, yeah, maybe you should tell that to your Starman friend - they’ve been a terrible dodger.”

And as if on cue, Leicra fired a PK Beam Beta right at his back. Starmera 2.0 was knocked down to the floor. The wires inside his shell fizzled and sparked.

“Damn it… Not again…” he rasped. “You lot will pay for this. Maybe it won’t be me delivering your just desserts… but they _will_ be delivered.”

With those last words, Starmera 2.0 fell unconscious.

The only noise that filled the air was the fizzling of Starmera 2.0’s shell. It was a while before Leicra asked, “...Is everyone okay?”

“I’m pretty sure,” Tori replied.

Buzz Buzz peeped out of Tori pocket and loudly exhaled.

“That was one of the most frightening situations I’ve ever been in,” he muttered.

“But it’s over now,” Gran replied.

Hurried footsteps from afar made their way to the room. An elderly man wearing thick, round glasses came in, and gasped in horror.

“What happened?!” he exclaimed.

“Oh… Hey doc!” Tori waved. “Um. He attacked us.”

“And… what about the computer…?” he asked.

Tori, Leicra and Gran looked behind them at it.

“Oh. I dodged a PK Beam and that got hit instead.” Tori turned back to the doctor. “Sorry.”

The doctor sighed. “Well, it can’t be helped.” He looked up at Leicra and Gran and said, “My name is Doctor Andonuts. I’ve been here for the last few days helping Starmera 2.0. I was hoping I would be able to head back to the Nowhere Islands tomorrow… but I suppose I’ll have to stay here a bit longer.”

“It is nice to meet you, Doctor Andonuts,” Leicra said.

“Is Starmera 2.0 going to be okay?” Gran asked.

“Yes. I’ll probably have to wipe most of his memories, though,” Doctor Andonuts replied.

“That seems a little extreme…” Buzz Buzz commented.

Doctor Andonuts gasped. “A sapient insect?”

“Yeeees, he… He sure is,” Tori replied as Buzz Buzz muttered to himself under his breath.

“I thought sapient insects weren’t in this time period! Could I study you?”

“Nnnno…?” Buzz Buzz replied.

“Oh. I see.” Doctor Andonuts adjusted his glasses. “So Tori, where are those Tangoos?”

Tori clapped her hands together and laughed nervously. “Well you see, doc, um… They really don’t like being taken away from their home, as it turns out! Like most things. And uh… also… I need to talk with you about something.”

“Does it involve not bringing the Tangoos here?”

“Yes.”

“Then go on ahead.”

Tori took a deep breath in. “Giygas was never supposed to conquer Earth, and the only way to fix this mess is by getting the Pigmasks and the Starmen to stop fighting, and then we need to get a stone to the chosen one - don’t question it please - and basically, could you please ask King P to stop fighting with the Starmen?”

Doctor Andonuts put a hand to his chin.

“Just like, ask him to move his reign somewhere else!”

“...Okay. I will try,” Doctor Andonuts said. “But I can’t promise anything.”

Tori’s face lit up. “Thank you~!”

The Sound Stone began glowing golden again, blinding Buzz Buzz immediately. Doctor Andonuts raised an eyebrow at Tori’s pocket.

“What’s going on now?” he asked.

Tori fished the Sound Stone out of her pocket and told him, “Travel by magic-imbued stone! Completely uncontrollable!”

The golden glow filled the room, taking Tori, Buzz Buzz, Leicra and Gran away again.


	18. Hello, I'm Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Variant Four return to Winters. Things are less intense depending on who you ask.

The golden glow faded, leaving the four in front of a school. Snow Wood, to be precise. The sign hadn’t worn enough for it to be unreadable.

Buzz Buzz dived back down into Tori’s pocket. The cool air was much cooler to him, being a bug and all.

“Why would the Sound Stone take us here if we’ve already convinced the Starmen and the Pigmasks to stop fighting?” Leicra asked.

“Maybe the world just needs some time,” Gran suggested.

Tori walked up to the large wooden doors of Snow Wood and knocked. A voice sounded from inside, then the left door opened. A slender man stood inside, panting a little. His skin was unnaturally pale, but he seemed well.

“Hi!” he greeted. “Uh, welcome to Snow Wood! You guys from around here?”

“Na,” Tori replied.

The man rubbed the back of his head, glancing away. “Well, neither am I. Or any of us staying here, actually.” He looked back at Tori and began to ask, “So, what can I do…”

Upon laying eyes on Leicra, he screamed.

“Oh no, please don’t be scared! I’m not going to hurt you!” Leicra said, hands raised. The man at the door gave them a skeptical look.

“No, really, Leicra won’t hurt you. They’re with us!” Tori told him.

The man frowned. “...If you say so.”

From inside, an older woman yelled, “Lance! Who’s at the door?” It was a shrill voice, made even more obvious by Lance’s smoother voice.

The man at the door, Lance, turned his body inside and yelled back, “There’s some strangers here- Uh, two of them are aliens…”

“They’re _what?!_ ”

“Aliens! One o-”

“No I _heard_ you! I’m just wondering why there’s aliens here!”

The woman’s hasty footsteps came from down the hall and up to the door. She squeezed past Lance and studied Tori, Gran and Leicra. She was taller than Lance, and had a wrinkly face. Her hair was starting to go grey. She was also rather thin herself, and was just as pale as Lance.

The woman glared at Lance. “Why is there a Starman here.”

“I don’t know, but apparently they’re nice-”

The woman scoffed. “A “nice” Starman. What wild story will you make next, Lance?”

“No, really, ma’am, Leicra _is_ nice!” Tori exclaimed. “If it weren’t for them, I probably wouldn’t be here right now!”

The woman raised an eyebrow at Tori. “You mean, they saved your life…?”

“Yes! And I bet they’d do it again!”

“Even at the cost of my life!” Leicra added.

The woman hummed in thought. “If you say so. But I’m keeping an eye on you.”

Leicra nodded.

“So, uh, how would you folk like to come in? It’s much warmer inside,” Lance said.

“It is?” Tori asked.

As the woman headed back inside, Lance replied, “Oh yeah! Chris figured out how to use his powers, and Sean found some wood, and now we’ve got a good fire in the lounge!”

Lance led Tori, Gran and Leicra inside. Once Lance closed the door, they were immediately hit with warmth.

“I don’t know why I doubted you! That fire must be amazing!” Tori exclaimed. She looked down at her pocket and said, “Buzz Buzz! You can come out! The fire in this place is super duper good!”

Buzz Buzz warily stuck his head out of Tori’s pocket, a doubtful look on his face. It vanished after a second as he felt the warmth from the faraway fire. He buzzed out of Tori’s pocket and onto her shoulder. Lance just watched silently.

“Hm. That fire…” Leicra looked at Lance and asked, “It’s PK Fire, isn’t it?”

Lance shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t have magic powers.”

“Well it certainly feels like PK Fire.”

Lance led the four down to the lounge. It was the warmest room in the boarding school by far, and another three people sat inside. One was the woman from before, another was a stark white man with rather long ears sitting right next to the fireplace, and the third was an older man sitting in a chair. He was just as pale as Lance and the woman, though his ears seemed to be a bit longer than theirs.

Pointing at each person, Lance said to the four, “That’s Susan, you’ve already met her, over there is Chris, and that’s Sean!”

Susan just blinked, Sean waved from his seat, and Chris glanced up from the fire to wave at the four before returning his attention to the flames.

“We’ve been living here since we escaped-” Lance paused during his explanation to think. He scrunched up his face as he stared off into the distance.

“Wait.” He looked down at Tori and thought a bit more. Then he exclaimed, “I THOUGHT you looked familiar!” He laughed to himself before saying, “Wow, I have a terrible memory.”

“Oh, you’re one of the people who were kidnapped from Autumns, aren’t you?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“Yeah! We all are. I guess I just… didn’t remember the rest of ya too well.”

“It’s alright,” Leicra told Lance. “I was just a stepping stool. I can’t blame you for not remembering me.”

Lance continued, “As I was saying, the four of us have been living here since we escaped that Starman base under Stonehenge. We’re hoping to regroup with the others someday… But right now, we’re just making the most of what we can here.”

Lance sat down in front of the fire with a content sigh. Chris frowned slightly at him, then motioned for him to move over.

“What? No way, man.”

Chris’ face scrunched up as he frowned more. Lance sighed.

“Alright, alright, I’ll scooch over a little.”

Lance shuffled over to the right. “Are ya happy?”

Chris nodded.

Tori, Gran and Leicra sat down on the floor a short distance away from the fire. There was a brief silence before Tori asked, “So, uh… Why do you all look so… like that…?”

“‘Cause of them tubes, we reckon,” Sean spoke up. “Dunno what was goin’ on in there, but there musta been somethin’ that was slowly turnin’ us into somethin’ else.”

“It’s also done some other weird things,” Lance added. “Chris didn’t have magic powers the last time we checked.”

Chris shook his head.

“And his vocal chords are ruined,” Susan muttered.

“They are?” Tori asked.

“Ohhh yeah.”

Chris cleared his throat and spoke. His voice sounded more like hisses and screeches rather than anything telligible.

Leicra hummed in thought as they put a hand to where their chin would be. “You said Chris had PSI, correct? Perhaps he could use telepathy to communicate?”

“Telepathy?” Lance echoed. He was silent for a brief moment before replying, “I’m not sure. The only person we know can use telepathy is Rea…”

“Rea? Who’s that?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“‘Nother one of our gang,” Sean told him. “She went out to see if anyone else had come back into the area. She’d usually be back by now…”

“You want us to look for her?” Tori offered, sitting up.

“But you only just got here! At least take a moment to rest in this nice, warm room!” Lance said.

“But your friend has been out there for who-knows how long! She’s probably in trouble!”

The room fell silent.

After a few moment’s silence, Sean said to the four, “Yeah, you prob’ly should go look for her.”

Upon hearing this, Tori stood up and bolted outside. Buzz Buzz, who was not anticipating this, fell off Tori’s shoulder with a small yelp. He soon took to the air and zoomed after her. Leicra and Gran followed.

By the time Buzz Buzz, Gran and Leicra had caught up to Tori, they were already a ways away from the school. There were snow-covered pine trees decaying all around, and the snow had hardened quite a bit. It was quite hard for Leicra and Gran to move around effectively, but thankfully, the soles of Tori’s boots were made for gripping. Once the group had reunited, they marched towards the edge of the nearby lake. It had frozen over.

“Do you think I could walk over that?” Tori asked.

“Over what?” Buzz Buzz asked from the warmth of Tori’s pocket.

“Frozen lake.”

“Oh no, definitely not.”

Tori hummed as she put a hand to her chin.

“Maybe… if I used PK Water to make a path over the lake, and then Gran used PK Freeze to freeze it and make it usable; perhaps that could work?” Leicra suggested.

“It’s worth a shot,” Gran said.

Leicra summoned a wave of PK Water, then let it splash onto the frozen lake. They then brought the water together and shaped it into a path. Gran froze over the beginning of the path with PK Freeze, then Tori, Leicra and Gran walked on. Gran froze the path as the group walked, being careful not to freeze anyone’s toes. Occasionally Leicra had to use PK Water again to extended the path. It was a long walk that nearly drained all of Gran’s PP, but eventually, they had made it to the other side of the lake. Tori, Gran and Leicra poked around, looking for any sign of Rea, but found nothing. They did, however, find an sign with a worn message in front of a cave.

“I feel like there’s somebody in that cave,” Leicra said.

Tori looked over at them and asked, “Did you have another dizzy spell?”

“No, I just think someone’s in there.”

Tori poked her head inside the cave to find a bunch of rocks outlining the remains of a maze. Most of the rocks had been thrown about, leaving not much of the maze left. At the other end of the cave was a young woman with pale skin and elongated ears much like Chris’. She was cowering, with a Starman Junior with regular Starman-coloured limb enhancements standing in front of her.

As Gran and Leicra looked inside too, the former commented, “That was a good guess, Leicra.”

The Starman Junior turned his head. He was silent for a moment as he scanned the cave.

“Hey, tincan! We’re over here!” Tori yelled at the Starman Junior.

“Tori what are you doing,” Buzz Buzz hissed.

The Starman Junior turned fully to face Tori. He had a red emblem instead of the standard black one. “You come to me.”

Tori marched right up to the Starman Junior, and Gran and Leicra followed.

“Hm. Those two behind you, human. I recognise them,” the Starman Junior commented, glaring at Gran and Leicra. “How awful it is to see you again.”

“Cut the crap talk. Who are you?” Tori questioned.

The Starman Junior looked back at Tori. “#100-α. Elex.”

Buzz Buzz set up a PSI Shield Sigma. This did not go unnoticed by Elex.

“You’ve already got PSI Shields. Whoever is doing it for you three must be on edge.”

Tori raised an eyebrow. “Wait. You know it’s not one of us?”

“Captain Astra, as powerful as he may be…” Elex paused. “...Is an idiot. Completely unobservant.”

“Well he seemed to remember us just fine…” Gran said.

“It’s because he wanted revenge,” Elex replied. He raised his hands and said, “But neither of us came to idly talk. Say your prayers!”

Elex let loose a PK Fire Beta. It scorched Tori, Gran and Leicra a bit less thanks to Buzz Buzz’s PSI Shield. Tori retaliated with a PK Fire Beta of her own.

“Tori, what are you doing?!” Buzz Buzz hissed from the safety of Tori’s pocket. “That was all the PP you recovered, wasn’t it?”

“Uh… Maybe.”

Buzz Buzz groaned.

Elex used PK Freeze Alpha on Tori, encasing her in ice for just a second.

Leicra looked over at Gran and Tori. “How much PP does everyone have?”

“I just used all of what I recovered before we set out,” Tori replied.

“About a quarter of it,” Gran said.

“Just enough for another… 2 PSI Shield Sigmas?” Buzz Buzz added.

Leicra frowned. “Hm.”

Elex let loose another PK Fire Beta. And then another.

As Gran rushed to heal everyone, Leicra silently thought. “I have a plan. I think.”

They motioned for everyone to huddle in. Elex squinted at them as the three of his enemies huddled together.

“Okay,” Leicra whispered, “so none of us have much PP. That’s going to make things… a bit harder. But I have an idea. Tori, you use PSI Magnet on Elex at every chance you get. Build up a lot, and don’t go spending it all at once. Okay?”

Tori hesitated, but then nodded.

“Gran, you’ll have to go on the offensive with PK Freeze. Sorry. I would do it, but I don’t have enough PP for more than a single PK Beam Beta. I would rather save my PP.”

“Don’t worry, I understand,” Gran replied.

“Buzz Buzz, you just keep making shields for us.”

“Got it!”

“Are you done saying your prayers?” Elex asked. “You do realise I didn’t mean that literally.”

Leicra looked up from the huddle at Elex. “Oh. I know.”

Gran then raised a hand and used PK Freeze Beta on Elex. He gasped, then shouted, “Rude!”

The huddle broke up and everyone returned their attention to Elex. Elex cast PK Freeze Alpha on Gran, who cast PK Freeze Beta back. Tori used PSI Magnet Alpha on Elex a couple of times while Elex was stomping his feet. Elex was back to attacking, casting a PK Freeze Alpha on Leicra. He followed up with a PK Fire Beta, breaking the PSI Shields the four had. Buzz Buzz quickly cast PSI Shield Sigma again. Tori used PSI Magnet again, and Gran cast PK Freeze Beta again. Elex went to let loose another PK Fire Beta, but the flame fizzled out and died. Elex growled, and cast PK Fire Alpha instead. It barely harmed Tori, Leicra and Gran thanks to their PSI Shields.

From the cave’s entrance, footsteps sounded. They were hurried, and came closer by the moment. Everyone looked at the cave’s mouth to see that one, the woman Elex had been standing before had managed to slip past the battle and just outside without injury, and two, Captain Astra had arrived. Captain Astra glanced down at the woman. The woman backed up to the edge of the cliff. Captain Astra blinked, then looked inside the cave.

“...Elex, what are you doing?”

Elex hesitated, then told Captain Astra, “I’m sorry, Captain, I know I should have kept a better eye on the hu-”

“You were fighting those imbeciles who broke out all the abducted humans from Autumns?!”

“Well, yeah. I mean, it would be great to finally-”

“WHAT WERE YOU _THINKING?!_ ” Captain Astra marched right up to Elex and yanked his arm. “We have more pressing issues to attend to than fight a human, a rebel and a old Shambler.”

Elex cocked his head a little. “We… We do?”

“YES! Something important’s come up - something very big.” Captain Astra began to drag Elex out of the cave as he shouted, “ We can’t waste any time with searching for lousy humans or fighting imbeciles such as those three!”

Everyone watched as Captain Astra dragged Elex away by the arm. Once they were out of sight, Tori and Gran walked over to the woman, and Buzz Buzz peeped out of Tori’s pocket.

“Are you alright?” Gran asked.

The woman looked up at them, and her voice echoed into the four’s minds as she replied with a small smile, “Yes, I am! Thank you!”

Buzz Buzz frowned as he looked to the side, then darted out of Tori’s pocket and into the cave. The woman took notice, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m Tori, this is Gran, and…” Tori looked over her shoulder. She was silent for a moment before she asked, “Where’s Leicra?”

“U-Uh! Coming!”

Leicra trotted out of the cave and to Tori and Gran. Buzz Buzz was perched on their shoulder.

Tori stood up as she asked, “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. Mostly. I’d rather not talk about it here in the cold, though...”

Gran helped the woman to her feet, and Leicra looked over at them as Buzz Buzz darted back into Tori’s pocket.

“Oh. You are okay! That’s a relief,” Leicra commented.

The woman’s voice echoed in everyone’s minds again. “Thank you so much for saving me. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t arrived. My name is Rea.”

Tori’s face lit up. “Oh! Rea, your friends back at Snow Wood were wondering where you were!”

Rea slapped a hand to her forehead. “Of course! I should have been back _hours_ ago! I just got so invested…”

Gran placed a hand on Rea’s shoulder. “It’s okay. How about we go back to Snow Wood for now?”

* * *

 The four and Rea returned to Snow Wood. There were hugs between the fugitives, and everyone hung out in the lounge. They chatted for a few hours about little things, like PSI, and the snow outside, and the cool things about their home. For the first time in a while, everyone felt truly relaxed.

Leicra later pulled Tori, Gran and Buzz Buzz aside into a nearby hall. They said it was important.

“So what is it that you want to tell us?” Gran asked.

“Back in the cave, just after Captain Astra left - I had another dizzy spell,” Leicra said. “A really bad one, too.”

“Oh.” Tori inhaled as she glanced at the floor. “Oh jeez…”

“What did it tell you?” Gran asked.

“...I don’t know,” Leicra replied. “It was very vague. But I feel like… something _bad_ is happening somewhere…”


	19. The Ferry and the Chimera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This time the Variant 4 actually explore a town that Tori had to skim over in order to catch a ferry. Speaking of the ferry, that’s here, too.

Once the four had rested up fully, the Sound Stone took them away to their next destination the next morning. They had gone to sleep at Snow Wood, and woke up in an inn someplace completely different. Trying to explain the four’s situation to the innkeeper if they tried to just walk out would be too difficult, so instead, Tori suggested that they all climb out the window in their room. And that’s exactly what they did. The only one who had an easy time with that was Buzz Buzz. And he didn’t even climb, he just flew out.

Once everyone who wasn’t a beetle had rather ungracefully fell a storey, Buzz Buzz took his perch on Tori’s shoulder and everyone took in their surroundings. The most distinct thing was the smell of sea salt in the air. Hardly surprising, seeing as there was so much water around. The buildings visible from the back of the inn had started to fall apart and rust. Yet, the cheerful babbling of a crowd farther away was present. For such a dreary place, it didn’t seem like it should be possible. And the last time Tori and Buzz Buzz had hastily visited, there weren’t many people at all.

Tori led Gran and Leicra around the front of the inn to see about a dozen people walking about the roads, happily chatting to one another and going in and out of what appeared to be stores. The four gazed out at the unusually happy scene with confusion.

On the opposite side of the cracked road, a man wearing a black cloak walked out of what used to be a store, holding a round device under his arm. Tori and Buzz Buzz’s faces lit up when they saw him, but Leicra and Gran had no idea who this man was.

The man stared at the four with an eyebrow raised, then cupped his free hand to his mouth and asked, “What are you doing over there?”

“Uh. Looking! Hey Christoph!” Tori replied.

Christoph walked over to the four and hissed, “You look super weird just standing there by the inn. Kinda suspicious, too.”

He glanced up at Gran and Leicra. “And, uh… are these your new friends…?”

“Mhm!”

“Oh thank God.”

With a flick of his wings, Buzz Buzz asked, “So how’s the FCT?”

Christoph yelped and looked around wide-eyed. Leicra pointed to Buzz Buzz. Christoph stared at him for a couple of moments before he muttered, “Crap, right.”

“Well, it’s been going pretty well. Turns out it can be exploited to make it a weapon,” Christoph said.

The four gave him confused looks.

“We fiddled with the settings too much and long story short, Stormin’s been turned into a loaf of bread and the Starmen there are part of it.”

That didn’t really clarify much.

“...So why are you lot here, anyway?”

“We got teleported here by a stone infused with a prophet’s magic,” Tori said.

Christoph gave her a look of utter confusion and disbelief. “...Right. Well, you do you. I’ve gotta go give some more food to the folks here - you can just… explore a little! And try not to get your alien friends killed! Welcome to Coastcrash Town!”

With that, Christoph walked away a bit too fast to be considered normal walking speed.

As the four watched Christoph speedwalk away, Buzz Buzz said, “...Well that last sentence was one of the most informative things we got from that.”

“Try not to get us _killed?_ ” Leicra echoed.

“...That’s. Also important.”

Tori spun around to face Gran and Leicra. “Okay, so, here’s the plan. We’re just gonna say that you two… are… cosplayers! You’re cosplayers, yeah.”

“What’s a cosplayer?” Gran asked.

“Human person that dresses up as a fictional human person or other thing for fun.”

“Does that mean we’re going to have to eat, somehow?” Leicra asked.

“Nnnno. Because you’re cosplaying, and your cosplays don’t have mouths, annnnnd taking off the suits would be a pain.”

Leicra and Gran hesitantly nodded.

Tori spun back around as she declared, “Right! Let’s go explore Coastcrash!”

The town was more like a village in terms of size - but maybe once upon a time it had been bigger. All the townsfolk were smiling away and were completely unbothered by the fact that Giygas’ darkness was coating the sky. The people the four talked to talked about how wonderful the ferry trip to Coastcrash was. The old shops, due to the lack of money nowadays, were more like museums that showed the wonders of the old days before Giygas’ invasion. The roads were cracked, but not torn up. For the weary state the town was in, the people seemed to not notice. Or not care. Then again, most were only visiting.

As the four walked down a road, Buzz Buzz said, “You know what I think?”  
  
“What do you think,” Tori asked.

“I was right about the ferry. All those people… being so happy…” Buzz Buzz shuddered.

Tori rolled her eyes. “Really? You still think that they’re being brainwashed or something? Well _I_ think you’re just jealous.”

“I must admit, the people have been a bit _too_ cheerful,” Gran commented, glancing to the side. “...Maybe the Pigmasks are up to something here?”

“Well, there was a pig nose painted on the side of the ferry me and Tori went on a little while ago,” Buzz Buzz said. “If they claimed the ferries, then they might be doing… who knows what on board!”

Tori came to a halt as she squinted at the ground in thought. “I mean, there’s the happy boxes back…”

None of the others knew what she was muttering about. Buzz Buzz glanced around - a crowd was starting to form.

“Tori, could you maybe hurry it up a little? People are looking,” he hissed.

“Oh! Right, right. Let’s go have a look at that ferry.”

The docks were only a short walk away. The same ferry that Tori and Buzz Buzz had taken to get to Winters just a couple of weeks ago was docked. The only difference Buzz Buzz could discern was that the Starman emblem was no longer visible.

 _‘The Pigmasks must have gone over it with white paint,’_ he thought.

No one was there to take tickets, so Tori led Gran and Leicra up to the ferry’s entrance. It was open. Strange, but convenient.

The interior of the ferry was much different without the chattering crowds and the warm lights. The only person inside, apart from the four themself, was the clerk. The same clerk from those weeks ago. They had been slouched over at their desk, and seeing the four made them sit up.

“Uh… hi! You again?” they asked Tori.

“Yeah! Me again.”

As Tori, Gran and Leicra walked up to the desk, the clerk asked, “Soooo… What can I do for you now?”

“Well my friend thinks there’s something fishy going on here, and we were just about to investigate for ourselves, buuuut I don’t suppose you’ve noticed anything weird?”

The clerk hummed in thought for a moment, then replied, “I mean, well other than the weird rattling noises down in the hold, no.”

“What are the rattling noises like?” Gran asked.

“...Rattling. Happens every night. I’ll just be going around cleaning - they were too lazy to hire a janitor so I do that too - and then these loud rattling noises will come from the hold. They go on for like, 30 seconds, I swear. And then… silence. I tried asking the boss about it, but he said there was nothing to worry about. I’m pretty sure loud rattling coming from the hold is something to worry about.”

“...Right. Thanks!” Tori said as she headed off to the narrow hall behind the clerk.

The clerk watched for a moment before saying, “That’s not the way to the hold.”

Tori came to a halt.

“I’ll show you to it.” The clerk got up from the desk and walked in the opposite direction. Tori jogged up to them, and Gran and Leicra followed at a similar pace.

They soon arrived in the hold - it was dark down there, and the dingy lights barely did anything to help it. There was an assortment of wooden crates and cardboard boxes in the hold. All of them had the same pig snout painted in the side of the ship on their sides.

“Well, have fun, try not to die,” the clerk told the four before walking away.

Tori leaned into the room and ignited a small flame of PK Fire. The room was much better lit up by the flame. She led Gran and Leicra into the hold, and the three of them started looking around.

The crates contained strange pink boxes with a screen. They weren’t televisions, but they probably served a similar purpose. The cardboard boxes had something much different in them - bottles. Multiple glass bottles of some sort of liquid. The bottles were small, about half the size of a wine bottle, and had darkened glass. Since none of the boxes, or crates, for that matter, were labelled, nobody knew what it was.

“Tori, Buzz Buzz, do you recall seeing any of these pink boxes on the ferry when you were last here?” Leicra asked, closing a crate.

They both thought for a moment before Tori replied, “Nope.”

Buzz Buzz looked over his shoulder at one of the cardboard boxes and muttered, “Then it must be whatever’s in those bottles…”

He buzzed over to the box he was looking at and landed on it. The other three crouched down next to it, and Leicra opened it, careful not to hit Buzz Buzz or knock him off. They then took out one of the bottles and turned it over in their hands as they examined it.

“It’s certainly strange. Maybe the Pigmasks have been putting this in the-”

A rustle sounded. One of the other cardboard boxes opened. Then, rattling.

The four sat in wide-eyed silence. Once the rattling had ended, Tori whispered to the others, “It’s not midnight, is it?”

“No,” Leicra replied.

“Then what was that and why is it rattling about _now?_ ” Buzz Buzz asked.

A shadow was cast over Buzz Buzz. He raised an eyebrow at this, and looked to both sides. Tori, Gran and Leicra were all pointing up at something behind him, all with looks of fear on their faces. Buzz Buzz turned around to see a large, pitch-black, vaguely humanoid figure. You could say it was human in shape, if you used the term very loosely. It appeared to at least have the upper half of a human, but the rest was simply a shadowy mass that melted into the floor. Its fingers were sharp, and it had a pair of horns atop its head.

“ **What are you doing,** ” it growled.

Buzz Buzz glanced away as he mumbled, “We were just… um…”

“...Maaaaaking sure that all the cargo was here!” Tori finished.

The shadowy creature, despite having no discernable eyes, glared at Tori.

“ **And yet, you look exactly like one of the people who took the FCT from its place in the Stromin Food Lab.** **I was told all about the endeavour. And how that lesser version of myself failed to protect it.** ”

“Lesser… version…?” Leicra echoed.

“Oh boy! More Chimeras! Just what I need!” Tori laughed. It was a mixture of nervousness and sarcasm.

The shadowy Chimera bared its claws and lunged at Tori. The PK Fire Tori had to light up the room was extinguished as she was pinned to the ground. Buzz Buzz darted away from the Chimera, then cast Shield Sigma. Leicra fired a PK Beam Gamma at the Chimera. The Chimera hissed and recoiled from the pain. Tori sat up and reignited the PK Fire to light up the room, only to find that the Chimera had vanished. After a few moments, it dove up from the floor at Gran. She fired a PK Freeze Beta at it with an eep. That was enough to send the Chimera hiding back into the floor.

“So it tries to surprise attack us…?” Leicra thought aloud.

“What a coward,” Buzz Buzz said.

The Chimera dove out of the floor and attempted to catch Buzz Buzz in its claw. Buzz Buzz had darted out of the Chimera’s reach. It growled before it sank back into the floor.

“This guy is a pain in the ass to fight,” Tori muttered. The Chimera rose up out of the floor to attack Tori, who unleashed a PK Fire Beta before it swiped her.

The Chimera was hard to target and harder to deal a good amount of damage to. This was for a mixture of reasons - it was in the floor most of the time, and Leicra was the only one who had good enough offensive PSI to deal much damage to it. Tori had tried Paralysis on it multiple times while it lunged at one of the them, and that didn’t do a thing.

In the middle of all the fighting, Tori’s face visibly (as much as it could in the low light) distorted as some kind of pain threw off her focus. Buzz Buzz noticed this, and buzzed over to her.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Tori simply tapped her forehead.

“Ah. That is… a really inopportune time to have migraine.”

Gran cast another PK Freeze Beta on the shadowy Chimera before it darted back into the ground. Tori’s migraine ended just after this. The Chimera re-emerged in front of her. It leapt up at her, claws bared. Tori fired a PK Fire at it instinctively, but this PK Fire was different. There were more flames, and it was all brighter. It was almost like watching a fireworks show. The sheer strength of the PK Fire had stunned the Chimera into stillness as it flopped to the ground, not bothering to melt back into it.

Buzz Buzz frowned as he buzzed closer to the Chimera. “So what are you doing here, anyway?”

“ **Protecting… the Happy Boxes… and the Joy Punch… They were mixing it in with all the drinks… don’t you know…?** ” the Chimera answered.

“And what’s your name, anyway?” Tori questioned.

The Chimera laughed. “ **Shadowman X, if you must know. My lesser self was simply Shadowman.** ”

“Cool, thanks.”

For a few moments it seemed like Shadowman X had given up. But then he enlarged his right hand and smacked Tori to the left wall. Gran, who had moved to her side, got caught in this, too. A faint sound like the shattering of glass sounded, filling Buzz Buzz’s eyes with fear.

Tori sat up with a grunt. Gran gave her a quick Lifeup Beta.

“Leicra, do you have any more PP for a PK Beam Gamma?” Tori called out to the Blue Starman.

Leicra turned their head to her. “Yes, just enough! Why do you ask?”

“You need to sink the ship.”

A collection of “what?!”s came from the rest of the four.

“We’re not gonna be able to beat him if we keep going like this! The only way to beat him is to sink the ship!”

Shadowman X stood higher. “ **I won’t be letting you do that.** ”

Leicra glanced around nervously.

“Come on, Leicra!”

They looked at the floor. They held up their hands, palms facing out, shaking a little. They squeezed their eye tight shut, then shot out a PK Beam Gamma. The beam hit the floor and punched a reasonable hole in it. Water started welling into the hold.

“ **No…! You wouldn’t…** ”

“Not usually, but this is definitely not a situation I ever expected myself to be in…!” Leicra told Shadowman X.

As Tori and Gran stood up, the former said, “Come on! Let’s go!”

All of the four dashed out of the hold, slamming the door behind them. They backtracked to the clerk’s desk, who gave them a raised eyebrow as they ran over in a panic.

“The ship’s sinking, we gotta get outta here NOW,” Tori explained.

“You… What happened down there?”

“No time to explain! Come ON!”

Tori grabbed the clerk’s arm and pulled them along as the four ran out of the ferry. They had to jump up onto the dock, but they made it back to safety regardless.

Christoph was there, standing on the dock, with a crowd of confused people standing not too far away. He simply stared as Buzz Buzz returned to Tori’s shoulder, and the four and the clerk caught their breaths. They then watched as the ferry slowly sank.

“...Well, we stopped that,” Buzz Buzz finally said.

“I learned a new level of PK Fire in the process, too,” Tori added.

Christoph warily took a single step closer to the four. “Okay, so, what the hell happened in there?”

The clerk looked at Tori, clearly wanting to know the story, too.

“Oh boy. Well, y’see…”

Tori, with the help of Buzz Buzz, Gran and Leicra, relayed the events of the ferry visit to the clerk and Christoph. Nobody knew what to think of the story, so Christoph just suggested that the four got some rest at the inn before walking off.

“That could have gone a lot worse,” Buzz Buzz commented as Tori, Gran and Leicra made their way back to the inn they woke up in that day.

Leicra looked up at the darkening sky. The red-tinted clouds that always covered the sky looked to be getting thicker. “I’m still not sure how that took the whole day… Not that you can really tell…”

Tori shrugged. “Well, we got it done, at least.”

Now the inn was right in front of them - Seasalt Inn. What a nice name.

“Come on, let’s try and get some rest before the Sound Stone takes us to who-knows-where again.”

* * *

 The nap should have been peaceful. Maybe it was those clouds. Maybe the clouds were interfering with their sleep…? That sounded ridiculous, though.

There was static. Lots of static. No sights, just static. And from the static came a voice.

“...Leicra…

...Leicra, can you hear me…?

...The time is coming soon…

...Darkness shall reign above all if you do not fight…

...Only the smallest can go back… to reverse this...

...Remember my… ...Leicra…

...Remember…”


	20. Blue Starman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Variant 4 end up back where they started on Apeon’s Whirlwind Tour of the World feat. Sound Stone and take a test!…that will actually cover four chapters, this one included. We also get a whole bunch more of Leicra!!

The golden glow of the Sound Stone had once again transported the four to another location after a quick rest. It had delivered them back to Metis Cove this time around. They had arrived at the other end of the village - near the ruins of the town hall. The clouds in the sky had gotten noticeably thicker.

“I suppose the next place we need to be is in Apoen’s cave…” Buzz Buzz buzzed off Tori’s shoulder and to the cave’s entrance. “Come on.”

Buzz Buzz took the lead as the four ventured into the cave once again. The torches flared to life and lit the way like the had last time. Down the long, empty rock hall they walked. The boulder that had blocked off Apoen’s room from the rest of the cave was still to the side. The torches inside Apoen’s room were still lit… but Apoen was nowhere to be seen.

Buzz Buzz warily flitted inside, followed by Tori, Gran and Leicra. The end of the room had four golden patches on the floor. They glittered despite the low light, and had a soft glow to them. That glow helped make the scroll laying in the floor more visible. It was Leicra who first saw it and pointed it out. Gran picked it up and opened it, and the four read what was written.

“To the four whom hold the Sound Stone,

I wish I could be here to congratulate you in ending the Starman-Pigmask war in person. After the village had been destroyed, the Apple of Enlightenment told me of the futures that would come of Giygas’ successful invasion. One of which was the one that you are in. I used my power to keep myself alive as I waited for you to come. It slowly drained, and after I imbued the Sound Stone with my magic, I realised that the time would quickly come where I too would have to leave the realm of the living. So I wrote this to you, then used the last of my power to make the four portals at the back of my room.

Those portals will lead you to the final destination of your quest, but they will also provide a test. A test not only of your PSI skills, but an emotional test, too. The Sound Stone will no longer teleport you to where you must go next. When you have finished your tests, you will know where to go for yourselves.

I apologise for not being able to tell you all this myself. Good luck, and safe travels.

         ~Apoen.”

Tori looked over to Buzz Buzz. A forlorn look was on his face.

“...Well, there’s nothing that can be done about that,” Buzz Buzz said. “Let’s go take those tests.”

Gran closed the scroll and set it back down on the ground. The four stepped over to the four portals.

Just before everyone was about to step in, Tori told them, “Good luck on your tests, guys!”

Buzz Buzz smiled. “You too.”

* * *

  _‘…Strange. Didn’t Apoen’s letter say that we would be taken to a test? Unless the test is in here…’_

Leicra looked around as they fiddled with their bandana. They were in a near exact replica of their old room back in Autumns. Everything was in the exact same place when they last saw it - apart from the Apple of Enlightenment. It wasn’t even present. It had just… vanished from the room. Concerning.

_‘Maybe the test… is finding the Apple of Enlightenment?’_

A look over all the tablets and screens turned up no clue of where the Apple of Enlightenment may have been. Leicra concluded that it must have been nearby, and walked out of their room. The hallways were the exact same, as well. It wasn’t too long until Leicra reached the end of the hallways. The light outside blinded them for just a moment, and outside...

The sky was pastel pink, and the stars glimmered in it. There were tall towers, a brighter pink, all around, but not squished together. Compared to it all, the hunk of dirt the hallways were in stuck out like a sore thumb. In conclusion, this place was definitely not Autumns.

 _‘What a strange place! This is nothing like I’ve ever seen before!’_ Leicra thought to themself as they wandered into the town.

Some people, mostly humans, somewhat familiar to them milled about. They weren’t saying anything. They all had wide smiles on their faces, and a faraway look in their eyes.

_‘Unsettling… but maybe they are friendly?’_

Leicra walked up to one of the humans and waved. “Hello! I am unsure of where I am right now, do you know?”

The human turned to them and replied, “Welcome to Magicant.”

“So this place is called Magicant? Okay! Thank you!” Leicra waved goodbye as they walked away.

_‘So this place is Magicant… Why does that name sound familiar? I think I’ve heard it before…’_

Leicra walked up to another human, whom they recognised as one of the adults from Autumns before they all got kidnapped. The human, male, if Leicra was getting it right, was with a child. Leicra recognised this one a little more - it was a younger version of the one who was leading the children now.

Leicra waved as they said to the adult, “Hello! I assume you live here in Magicant now?”

“Watch out for Astroids,” the adult replied, looking directly at Leicra.

Leicra raised an eyebrow. “Asteroids? But this certainly doesn’t seem like asteroid weath-”

Leicra felt something ram into their back. The impact almost made Leicra fall onto the human they were talking to. They spun around to see a round, golden thing hovering a step away. Said thing had a visor much like on the shell of a Starman, and two black-and-red spikes protruding from its back.

“Watch out for Astroids,” the man repeated.

The Astroid fired a PK Beam Gamma at Leicra, which almost knocked them over again. Leicra fired a PK Beam Gamma back at it. The cycle of PK Beam Gammas continued for two turns. The Astroid was almost down when it made a strange whirring noise. Another Astroid teleported onto the scene. Leicra frowned, then unleashed a wave of PK Water Beta on the two Astroids. It got rid of the first Astroid, but only harmed the summoned one. It was finished off with a PK Beam Gamma and a Beta. After the short battle, Leicra’s vision went staticy for just a moment. It dazed them a bit, as it always had, but they knew what had happened. They learned a new level of PK Water.

Leicra tapped the shoulder of the child next to the man and asked him, “So, why are there Astroids here?”

“Sometimes enemies come into town,” the child replied. “Not often, though. Most of them are in the maze.”

_‘The maze? Sounds dreadful…’_

Leicra continued exploring Magicant. They found more people to talk to, who said nonsense things, like, “Talk to all the cats who swim,” and, “If you see any wires, kick them! A kick a day keeps the doctor away!”, as well as a sign post that said, “Watch out for sign posts!”  Leicra hadn’t seen any swimming cats or wires (barring those in the replica of their room), nor did they suspect they would anywhere in Magicant. And a sign post that said to watch for sign posts seemed counterintuitive.

In one of the pink towers was a single room with too many beds and several mugs of coffee on a single table. Buzz Buzz, Tori and Gran were inside the room, with Gran being just a few steps away from the door and Tori and Buzz Buzz sitting on a bed. Buzz Buzz was a lot larger than usual.

“Gran! I’m so glad you and the others are here. Have you seen the Apple of Enlightenment anywhere?” Leicra asked.

“You must be tired. Have a rest on one of our many beds,” Gran replied.

And so they did. By force. Leicra assumed their nap was only about 10 minutes long, but then again, how could they be sure? Magicant was weird enough as it was.

After their nap, Leicra sat down next to Buzz Buzz and said, “Hello Buzz Buzz!”

“When the chosen boy reaches the point, he will find the light. The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock and will reveal the path of light.”

“Um… I know! You told me that…! Back in Autumns…! Do you remember…?”

“When the chosen boy reaches the point, he will find the light. The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock and will reveal the path of light.”

Leicra frowned. “...Is that all you can say…?”

“When the chosen boy reaches the point, he will find the light. The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock and will reveal the path of light.”

Leicra stood up and stormed out of the room, muttering, “Why do I even bother with these Magicant people?”

Not wanting to stick around, Leicra looked around for the exit. They ended up encountering another Astroid, which was easily dealt with. A sign post was situated at the end of where the pink grass of the town, and glowing yellow paths with deep red walls surrounding them started rather suddenly on the other side. The sign post read, “Now entering the maze. Have fun!”

“I don’t think I will,” Leicra muttered to the sign. They edged past it, making sure it wouldn’t jump out at them and attack them. It didn’t.

Just a few steps into the maze, Leicra found First Mate Ransom standing around doing a whole lot of nothing, like the rest of the Magicant people.

“Hi, Mr. Ransom!” Leicra greeted excitedly as they trotted up to him, waving. “Do you have any tips for the maze? Or are you going to say something weird like the others?”

_‘Please don’t be like the others please don’t be like the others please don’t be like the others-’_

“We’re all trapped in the machine,” Ransom replied. “There is little hope for escape from its grasp, but you can try anyway. It might get you killed, though.”

…Weird _and_ frightening.

As Leicra turned away from Ransom after a moment of stunned silence, they thought to themself as they walked further into the maze, _‘Perhaps… that was a metaphor for the maze! Or maybe it was a metaphor for something else.’_

Leicra got lost as soon as there was a fork in the path. They wandered around for what was most likely hours. There were more Astroids, as well as little, but powerful, golden apple-like entities with two round eyes and a small round mouth that looked like they had been carved into them, and tattered flags with the Gysienn emblem on them. According to a random creature of indeterminate species, they were called One-One-Five-Fives and Beat-up Flags respectively. The creature also said that Leicra had been “following the path for too long,” whatever that meant.

It seemed like they were never going to make it out of the maze. They had run out of PP, and restorted to kicking any enemy that got in their way. It ended up working out for them in the end, as they found the middle of the maze not too long after they were forced to switch tactics. They breathed a heavy sigh of relief when they saw the Apple of Enlightenment sitting in the middle of the clearing.

Breathlessly, Leicra hugged the Apple of Enlightenment and told it, “Oh, I’m so happy to see you! I thought I had lost you foreve-”

Leicra was thrown off by the Apple of Enlightenment’s sudden shapeshifting. This definetely wasn’t something the Apple of Enlightenment did, as far as Leicra knew. If the Apple could shapeshift, they would have seen it by now, surely…

The Apple turned from deep red and yellow to a mostly white, skinny figure with large ears, blue eyes and a long tail. It hovered off the ground and glared daggers at Leicra. They knew who this was.

“You… have dissapoint…point…point...ed… m e...”

Leicra scurried back as quickly as they could on all fours. The ground underneath them vanished, and they suddenly found themself plummeting to an uncertain fate.

Thankfully, their fate made itself clear pretty quickly. Leicra sat up, ears ringing from the fall, to find themself in a stark white place with statues lined up to form a pathway to a pedestal. Leicra slowly stood up and walked over to the path. The statues faced inward to the path, so the plaques could be read. The first two statues were of Harmonius the Wise and Concord the Fearless, the two Starmen who lead Starmankind to ally themselves with the Zanue many thousands of years ago. Leicra had heard the occasional legend about them during their time as a soldier. The majority of the other statues were of other Starmen who had done great deeds. Granted, some of these deeds were a bit… morally grey in retrospect. Only one statue wasn’t of a Starman, and that was of Captain Zeta. The statue was shaped like a human, but there were no distinct details, since Leicra had no idea what the former captain looked like.

Finally, Leicra had arrived at the pedestal. On it was a glimmering light in a long shape; like something Leicra didn’t recognise. The shape wasn’t important to Leicra - it was the light itself that had captivated them.

A voice, oh-so-familiar, spoke out. “Congratulations on making it here, Leicra.”

Leicra was snapped out of their awe at the light. “A-Apple? Of Enlightenment?”

“Yes, it is I, the spirit of the Apple of Enlightenment. I have something very important to tell you. Are you ready?”

“Yes!”

“You are an Agent of the Apple, too.”

Leicra nearly fell over. “I-I am sorry? Could you repeat that?”

“You are an Agent of the Apple, too. I know it may be hard to grasp, but let me explain. After we had first met, and we had talked some, I considered you as another Agent. It was after you had visited the Starman Stronghold, I decided to entrust you with my wisdom. The dizzy spells you have been having recently have been part of your awakening as an Agent.”

Leicra had to take a moment to process it all. _They_ were an Agent of the Apple too? And those dizzy spells were part of that?

“B-But I do not understand, Apple: why me? A-Are you sure this is right? I do not think that I can take on such a role- I’m just a Blue Starman!”

“Listen to me, Leicra. You have grown so much over your adventure with the other three. Look inside yourself, and realise that your rank means nothing. I would tell you more about this subject in particular, but I must leave the rest of those details for you to figure out yourself.”

Leicra was silent. _‘As straight to the point as always, it seems.’_

“I can hear your thoughts here,” the Apple told them.

Leicra yelped.

“But do not worry, I do not take it as an insult.”

Leicra sighed with relief.

“When you awaken, what the glimmering light before you represents will soon become clear. Goodbye, Leicra, and good luck to you and the others.”

The light in front of Leicra shone, blinding them. And then, they woke up.


	21. White Rabbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We explore Gran’s Magicant next! Strap in your seatbelt, it’s gonna be a wild, over 6000 word ride.

Whatever Gran had been expecting from the golden portals, it certainly wasn’t this. She was now standing in a grove, with a single grass path leading elsewhere. Sitting a couple of feet away was a small, fluffy, white mammal with large ears staring at her. She wasn’t quite sure what it was - maybe a rabbit? Earth animals had never been her strong suit. The rabbit bounced away as soon as Gran took a step towards it, a hand raised slightly. She began following it, taking in her surroundings as she went. The trees seemed to reach up forever, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves dappled the path. The grass was soft - much softer than she recalled it being, but then again, she hadn’t felt proper grass since Giygas conquered the Earth.

The trees became less packed together as she went along, and eventually, the path led to a small town. There were three buildings, all made of wood, and some people milling about the town, as well as a fountain. One of the buildings Gran recognised - it was the bar back in Shambler Village. If Gran had a mouth, a smile definitely would have been on it. She went inside the bar to find the Bellyflop crew having drinks of something. It certainly didn't look like anything she had seen, or anything incorporeal. Captain Casey, who was sitting at the counter, swiveled around upon hearing Gran enter, then cheered. The rest of the crew joined in.

Captain Casey flew off his seat and over to Gran and grinned as he said, "Amie! Didn't think I'd see ya 'ere! 'Ow's it goin'?"

"I'm just fine, thank you," Gran replied.

Captain Casey returned to his seat, and Gran rested her arms on the counter beside him. Captain Casey called out to the bartender, who refilled his glass with a strange, pink liquid.

"I'm still not sure what it is, t' be 'onest," Captain  Casey told Gran. "But 'pparently this place be called Magicant. Th' folks here are a bit… strange. Don't say much. Even me own crew."

 _'How strange,'_ Gran thought to herself.

"But this stuff, whatever it be, is good!" Captain Casey said before chugging down the pink liquid in one go. He let out a loud belch as he slammed his empty glass on the counter.

With a chuckle, Gran said, "Excuse you!"

Captain Casey laughed under his breath.

"So how did you find your way here?" Gran asked Captain Casey.

The ghost captain shrugged. "Good question! I know I've always 'ad a knack fer knowin' what's gonna 'appen next, but bein' able to communicate with ya through yer own mind be a tad bit ridiculous!"

"Pardon?!"

Captain Casey clicked his ghostly tongue before muttering, "Right. Forgot ya didn't know that." After getting another refill, he explained, "I don't understand 'alf o' it, but 'pparently us ghost types can communicate with people if they be in their Magicants."

Gran slowly nodded. She stood upright and said, "I would love to stay, but I have other important things to get to. It was nice seeing you again!"

Captain Casey waved as she exited the tavern. "Was nice seein' ya again too! Best o' luck!"

Gran explored the little town of Magicant a bit more. She found Rammy and the Shambler child hanging out together by a building. Rammy was pleased to see her, and the Shambler child asked her if she had seen the white rabbit. Upon hearing Gran's reply, he said, "You have? Cool! I wonder if it has, like, a house, or something? You better not keep it waiting."

Tori, Buzz Buzz and Leicra were also in the town, sitting by the fountain. Tori, with Buzz Buzz perched on her shoulder as a spectator, and Leicra were playing what appeared to be at least three card games mixed into one. They were all very happy to see her, and Tori attempted to explain the card game she and Leicra were playing. She got lost immediately. With all the sights of the town seen, Gran headed in the rabbit's trail. It was waiting in front of a hole in the ground, framed by tree roots. It was tapping its foot impatiently when Gran arrived. When she did, the rabbit dived into the hole.

"Wait!" Gran cried. The hole grew twice as large when Gran stepped in, and she fell. Her beanie flew off her head as she did. The hole was pitch black, and it was impossible to tell when she would land on solid ground. Until she did.

She hit the ground face-first with an echoing **clang** , and her beanie soon floated down onto her head. She gingerly sat up and adjusted it so it sat on her head like usual, then looked around. The walls and floor were made of a deep purple metal, and veins of light flowed on the former. The orange light they emitted barely helped light up the hall she had fallen into, and worst of all, the white rabbit was nowhere to be seen. Gran stood up and dusted herself off.

_‘I hope I can find my way out of here soon.’_

Gran began walking down the hall, looking for any sign of the rabbit, or an exit. Only a couple of meters into the hall, Gran heard a **click** from underneath her. She looked down at the floor to see a small indent in the floor under her foot - a boobytrap. A screen on the wall to her right flashed alive, and three yarn balls with legs and eyes dropped down from the ceiling. A foreign language she somewhat recognised began writing itself rapidly on the screen, then a voice called out over an unseen intercom.

“Enemy: Yarnbo. Commencing battle against subject.”

The three Yarnbo ran towards Gran, and each headbutted her. For balls of yarn, they sure hit hard. Gran fire a PK Freeze Beta at the middle one, which it withstood. The leftmost Yarnbo wrapped part of itself on Gran’s leg. She managed to shake it off and send it flying into the wall, but not without falling over. The other two Yarnbo climbed onto her and began jumping on her. Their feet weren’t as damaging as their heads, but the combined efforts of the two Yarnbo was a problem. Gran fired another PK Freeze at the middle one again, which was enough for it to unravel, then be beamed away by some strange force. By now, the Yarnbo that had been flung into the wall had recovered, and ran up to Gran as she began to stand up. The Yarnbo that had been jumping on her slid off, and Gran stomped down on it before it could get up. The leftmost Yarnbo headbutted her again, and Gran retaliated with a PK Freeze Beta. The Yarnbo unraveled then got beamed away, only leaving one Yarnbo left. Gran fired a PK Freeze Beta at it, unraveling it before it could attack again. With that, all three Yarnbo had been defeated.

“Winner is subject. Proceed with test.”

Gran frowned.

_‘This is the test? A mechanical lair full of enemies? What other horrid things are going to be here?’_

Gran healed herself with a Lifeup Beta, then continued walking down the hall. She quickly came across a fork in the path, and decided to go left. She navigated the halls for what seemed like quite some time, occasionally coming across a Yarnbo or two. They were just a bit tougher to defeat without using PSI. She figured that if this place was just as large as the lairs she had come across in her life, she would need to conserve it.

Gran had gone quite a way in, still no sight of the white rabbit, when she stepped on another boobytrap. This time, three red, oversized screwdrivers came down from the ceiling. They hovered off the ground, and had thin, black arms and large eyes near the head of their bodies.

“Enemy: Senile Screwdriver. Commencing battle against subject.”

The middle Senile Screwdriver raised a hand, letting loose a PK Fire Gamma. Gran shielded her face as the flames burned her. The rightmost Senile Screwdriver twirled around then rammed into her side, spinning as it did so. Gran retaliated with a PK Freeze, but it came out a lot stronger than she intended. The Senile Screwdrivers were clearly shocked by this, but not as much as she was. Gran followed up with a slap, which then took out the rightmost Senile Screwdriver. Like the Yarnbo, the Senile Screwdriver was beamed away by an unseen force. The leftmost Senile Screwdriver rammed into her other side, and Gran used PK Freeze Beta on it while it was close. The middle Senile Screwdriver used PK Fire Gamma again. Gran quickly used Lifeup Alpha on herself before slapping the middle Senile Screwdriver. The leftmost Senile Screwdriver used PK Fire Gamma as well, to which Gran retaliated with another dose of PK Freeze Beta. This was enough to take it out and be beamed away. The last remaining Senile Screwdriver rushed up to her, but she smacked it down before it could make contact. Gran then stomped on it before it got up. With that, it was defeated, and beamed away.

“Winner is subject. New techniques learned: PK Freeze Gamma. Congratulations.”

Confetti rained down from the ceiling all over Gran.

“Proceed with test.”

Gran healed herself with Lifeup Beta, then continued to navigate the maze the halls were. Now, the Yarnbo were sometimes accompanied by Senile Screwdrivers, and sometimes the Senile Screwdrivers showed up by themselves. The enemies loitering about in the halls continued to attack her, and she learned Lifeup Gamma along the way. More confetti rained down on her. But she still hadn’t found the white rabbit again. Where could it have gone?

Some time later, another boobytrap was set off. Two glowing blobs of dark orange energy came down from the ceiling. They hovered off the ground too, and their surfaces, decorated with stars, constantly shifted, giving them a face that constantly changed its appearance.

“Enemy: Amorphite. Commencing battle against subject.”

The left Amorphite started with PK Thunder Omega. Gran barely managed to dodge all four bolts of lightning. The right Amorphite used PK Freeze Gamma. Gran retaliated with a PK Freeze Gamma of her own. It didn’t seem to bother the right Amorphite that much. The left Amorphite then used PK Freeze Gamma, and the right used PK Beam Gamma. Gran healed herself with Lifeup Alpha quickly, then attempted to slap the right Amorphite. It simply curled its shape around Gran’s arm as she swiped at it. It then followed up with another PK Beam Gamma. Gran used another PK Freeze Gamma just before the left Amorphite used PK Thunder Omega. The first bolt hit her square on the head, but the rest missed. The right Amorphite seemed to smile at its cohort, and decided to lay back for a bit. Gran took the opportunity to use a third PK Freeze Gamma on it, which made the Amorphite burst into twinkling dust and be beamed away by the unknown force. Gran then used Lifeup Beta on herself before the remaining Amorphite used PK Freeze Gamma on her. The rest of the battle played out fairly normal - Some Beam Gammas and Thunder Omegas from the Amorphite, three PK Freeze Gammas from Gran, and the battle was over. Although she was starting to run out of PP by the end of it.

“Winner is subject. Proceed with final leg.”

A portion of the wall to her right lowered into the ground with a thundering rumble. The opened path looked like all the other halls in the maze, but there was a very high chance that this was the right way to go.

There were only a few enemies in this new hall - two Yarnbo, two Senile Screwdrivers, and an Amorphite. They were all taken care of. Past the Amorphite, the end of the maze was in sight - a white light at the end.

Gran felt a tap on her foot. She looked down to see the white rabbit staring back up at her. They held gazes for a moment, before the rabbit took off down the hall. Gran followed it to the light at the end, and at the end…

...was a small, round, white room. There was a round, white table in the middle of the room, and white cushions and white chairs strewn about. On the table was a book with a brown leather cover. It had no title. The rabbit had sat down at the end of the room atop one of the cushions. It stared at Gran as she looked around. After a few moments, the rabbit twitched its ears, and motioned to the book with its snout.

Gran walked up to the table, pointed at the book, and asked, “You want me to read this?”

The rabbit nodded once.

Gran slowly opened up the book to the first page, and the corners of her vision went white…

* * *

  _The spaceship had been sitting there in the valley for quite some time now. Amienafleece wasn’t really sure_ **_what_ ** _the crew were doing, but if they had been there for just under a day, then they can’t have been doing a lot. Her father always said to work hard during the day, and these offworlders… weren’t doing that. Probably._

 _The mayor had said to stay away from the ship - nobody knew what could be on there and who could be piloting it. She knew that he had everyone’s wellbeing in mind, but how was anyone supposed to know if there_ **_was_ ** _danger if nobody went to find out?_

 _Her younger brother, Corrie, walked up to her and crouched down beside her. “Amie, you’re not_ **_seriously_ ** _going to go over there, are you? The mayor will go crazy if he finds out.”_

_She waved a hand as she replied, “Come on, Corrie! Someone’s got to find out what the offworlders are up to.”_

_“But they might-”_

_“I can take care of myself, Corrie. You know that.”_

_Corrie was silent for a few moments, then replied, “Yeah, you’re right. I guess. But if you don’t come back by 114, you_ **_know_ ** _what Dad will do.”_

_“I know, I know! I promise, I’ll be back by then.”_

_Amienafleece and Corrie bumped their hands together, then the former stood up from the bush she was behind and scurried over to the offworlders’ ship. The crew looked a lot stranger than she had expected. There were three aliens with a single eye on their face and two more on stalks, and tentacles for both arms and legs - a dark green one with deep red eyes, an orange one with bright red eyes, and a purple one with dull magenta eyes. The dark green one was talking to the slightly smaller orange one, while the purple one paced around the ship with a frown._

_“Um- Hello, excuse me-” Amienafleece called out._

_The dark green one flinched as he looked at her, the orange one seemed unfazed, and the purple one looked at her with an eyebrow raised.’_

_“My name is Amienafleece, I’m an inhabitant of this planet! What are you three doing here? You’ve given everyone in town a bit of a scare.”_

_“Oh… we have?” the dark green one asked, a look of concern on his face. “That’s- Oh no! That’s not what we planned at all-”_

_The orange one gave the dark green one a pat on the back. “Hey. It’s okay. Yeah, we’ve taken a little longer than we meant to, but at least we're not going to get attacked!”_

_“But we’re not_ **_supposed_ ** _to be scary!” the dark green one cried._

_“Calm your Saturns, Colunne,” the purple one said. “We’ll be gone before this weirdly long day is over.”_

_The dark green one, Colunne, frowned skeptically at the purple one for a moment._

_The orange one smiled as they said, “Don’t mind him. He’s always been a bit sensitive.” He pointed at himself and said, “I’m Sollas, that’s Colunne next to me, and over there,” he pointed at the purple one, “is our weird uncle Vega! We’re travelling all over the solar system for fun!”_

_“Well, we would be, but our ship, the Starlaze, broke down,” Vega added. “We’ve been trying to fix it for day- a day? How long has it- ...A while.”_

_Amienafleece’s eyes lit up. “I could help you fix it!” she offered._

_Colunne’s face immediately lifted upon hearing this. “Really?”_

_Amienafleece nodded. Colunne cheered._

_“I’ll go get my toolbox and I’ll be back soon!”_

_Amienafleece ran back to her house, rather small for a Wooly Shambler home, and only told Corrie that she was going to get her toolbox. The trip to her house and back was only about 30 minutes. Colunne watched with wide eyes as Amienafleece opened her toolbox, got out a small torch, and looked under the ship. It didn’t take long to find what was going on._

_“Your engine managed to implode. I don’t see it at all.”_

_“It can_ **_do that?!_ ** _” Colunne questioned._

_“I only heard stories about imploding engines. Where did you get it?”_

_“We made it ourselves, with the help of this sketchy looking friend of Uncle Vega’s,” Sollas explained._

_“He’s helped me out a lot, you shut your yap!” Vega barked._

_“I think there was coffee in there?” Colunne added. “I’m not really sure, I don’t remember what was used to make it, exactly.”_

_Amienafleece was more than confused by this. Coffee? In an_ **_engine?_ **

_“Well I could get you a new one,” she offered as she crawled out properly from under the ship and stood up. “Should last for quite a few years.”_

_“Really? You’d do that for us?” Colunne asked._

_Amienafleece nodded. Colunne let out a squeak of excitement, then wrapped his arms around her in a hug. It was unexpectedly tight, too. Colunne soon realised what he was doing and let go._

_“Uh, sorry,” he mumbled, his face flushing a little._

_Amienafleece giggled. “It’s alright. How about I go get that engine?”_

_Colunne nodded. Amienafleece ran off to her dad’s friend’s workshop, which was located not too far away from her house. She explained to her dad’s friend her situation, and while he was confused, he let her have an engine for half price. It was a good thing she had her wallet on her. The run back to the ship was a little longer due to having to carry an engine, but she made it back before the sun started to sink. It was installed just before 114 o’ hours._

_“There you go!” she said once she had crawled out from under the ship. “I would love to stay longer, but if I don’t get going now, my dad’s going to get really mad.”_

_“Understandable,” Sollas replied. He flashed a sly grin at Colunne before telling Amienafleece, “We really do need a mechanic - none of us are that good with the workings of the ship - so if you’d like, you could be our mechanic?”_

_Amienafleece’s face lit up with excitement. “I would love to! I will have to talk about it with my dad, but I’m sure he’ll understand!”_

_“Great! See you in the morning, then?” Colunne asked._

_“Of course! See you later!”_

_That night, she talked about her day with the ship’s crew at the dinner table, and while her dad was angry at her for going near it, he commended her for being so kind. He let her join them the next day._

* * *

  _This Earth town was a lot different to the one Amienafleece had been in last. It was a lot colder. Snow was falling from the sky at a leisurely pace, but she knew it could very easily get a lot worse. But there was no time to double as a weather presenter - she had to get to the spot she had been told to go to meet up with the Starlaze crew…_

_Amienafleece did the best she could to stay out of sight of humans, but it was quite hard to do so with her white wool standing out against the brick houses and the bag on her back sticking out too. She was lucky there were so few of them out and about. She wandered around for hours, but there was still no sign of the park that she was supposed to go to? Perhaps Captain Casey had got the wrong town? Maybe she was going in the wrong direction? She didn’t want to worry Colunne and the others - she knew how antsy Colunne and Bababa could get._

_She decided to turn back around and go a different direction. It was risky, but maybe going where there were more buildings would lead her to the park. The snow had started to come down quicker now, and the wind was starting to howl. It was a good thing she had such thick wool - she doubted her beanie and her vest would do much to keep her warm if she didn’t have it._

_As she walked down a road with many buildings, she heard a small cry. It came just a few paces behind her, but was mostly drowned out by the wind. Amienafleece walked back to find a small human wrapped in a blanket in a basket, sitting on a doorstep. There weren’t any lights on inside, as far as Amienafleece was aware - humans hadn’t invented lightbulbs yet. The small human continued to cry._

_Amienafleece carefully picked up the small human and cradled them. “Oh, you poor thing… You aren’t going to survive out here in the cold, are you? Don’t worry, I’ll look after you. I’m sure that the crew will understand.”_

_The tiny human seemed to calm down a little, but Amienafleece still worried for their safety. She picked up her pace and continued down the road. Luckily for her, the park was only five minutes away, and the Starlaze was already there, too. The hatch door opened, and a ladder dropped down from it. Amienafleece climbed up it and back on board the ship. The ladder was pulled back up, the hatch door closer after her, and the Starlaze exited the Earth’s atmosphere. Colunne gave her a quick hug, and sat down beside her as she set the small human down on her lap and took her bag off. She handed it to Colunne, whose arms trembled under the weight of everything in it. Sollas cracked a smile._

_“Good to see yeh safe n’ sound, Amie!” the ship’s navigator, an Octobot named Ochy, said. He frowned and pointed at the small human, and asked, “Wot’s dat thing.”_

_Amienafleece held the small human and replied, “It’s a human! They were out in the cold and it didn’t look like they would survive the night, so I took them with me.”_

_“Looks bloody small for one,” Ochy remarked. “Ain’t dey bigger?”_

_Brane, the Cerebrum of some extrasolar being, padded over to Amienafleece and (somehow) looked at the small human. After a moment’s silence, he said, “It’s an infant. It surely wouldn’t have survived overnight if it was as cold as you say it was, Amienafleece.”_

_The Starlaze’s chef, a Barbot named Bababa, crouched down in front of them and inquired, “Ba?”_

_The baby human’s bottom lip trembled, then they began wailing at the top of their lungs. Bababa moved back a bit and cried, “Ba! Ba! Ba ba!” They were quite upset that they had upset the baby._

_As Brane comforted Bababa, Amienafleece cradled the baby in her arms and held them close. It took a while, but the baby managed to calm down and cling to Amienafleece’s wool._

_“So I guess… this is our kid now?” Colunne asked._

_“Well what else are you gonna do with a baby human that you found outside in the cold?” Vega said._

_“Okey, but dem male humans have those funney things down… there, right? What’re they called again? Di-”_

_Colunne gave Ochy a frown as Amienafleece checked under the baby human’s blanket. This prompted some growls and squirming from the baby._

_“Well, it doesn’t have one of… those,” Amienafleece said._

_“Ba, ba ba?” Bababa asked._

_“They ask if we should call the human infant a they or a she,” Brane translated for the rest of the crew._

_Amienafleece thought about it for a few moments, while Colunne looked down at the baby human. The baby made a grabbing motion at Colunne’s right eyestalk, and a big smile spread on their face._

_“I think she looks like a she,” Colunne commented. “Look at that cute little face.”_

_There was no disagreement from the rest of the crew. Then again, none of them knew all that much about humans._

_“We’ll have to give her a name, too, you know,” Sollas said. “We can’t go around calling her “the human” for the rest of her life.”_

_“Oh! One of the ghosts I met down on Earth told me about this human woman they met once - her name was Lucy,” Amienafleece said. “Should we call her that?”_

_Colunne looked down at the baby human. “What do you think? Do you like Lucy?”_

_The baby human laughed._

_Colunne smiled. “...Yeah. We’ll call her Lucy.”_

* * *

  _It was just another day of sailing the stars. That was what it should have been. But fate had other plans. Other, much worse plans._

_Amienafleece was knitting another shirt for Lucy, who was sitting next to her and watching intently. Ochy was sitting at the control panel, as per usual. It was stars as far as his eye could see one moment, then out of nowhere appeared a ship so large it almost covered up the entire window of the Starlaze. Ochy yelped and almost fell over. He muttered some curses under his breath as he took a good look at the ship._

_“Cap! Yer gonna want to see dis!”_

_Colunne ran up to the control panel and stood next to Ochy._

_“Dis ship dat jus’ came outta nowhere ain’t from dis galaxy, Cap!” Ochy explained. “I doubt we can outrun it…”_

_Lucy, who was 10 Earth years of age now, asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper, “Colunne? Ochy? It’s gonna hurt us, is it?”_

_Colunne drew in a sharp breath as he and Ochy looked at her._

_“...No. We’ll be fine,” Colunne told her._

_By now, Bababa, Brane, Sollas and Vega had turned their attention to the giant, otherworldly ship that had appeared before the Starlaze._

_“Maybe we_ **_shoulda_ ** _taken those thrusters from dat guy on Jupiter…” Ochy muttered._

_“He was a conman and you know it, Ochy,” Vega said. He walked over to Lucy, kneeled down beside her and told her, “And besides, if anyone does get hurt, I’ll fix ‘em right up. It’ll be okay.”_

_Lucy smiled, if only for a brief moment._

_Everything was quiet for a few moments, before Colunne asked, “Hey, Ochy, is it just me, or are we getting closer to that ship?”_

_Ochy’s eye widened as realisation sunk in. Then he yelled, “Brace yerselves!”_

_The Starlaze was pulled in towards a hatch located at the bottom of the giant, extrasolar ship. It was slammed against a wall as the hatch slammed shut. The giant ship started moving at unfathomable speed, but it still felt like a long time before it stopped again. The Starlaze crew sat in complete darkness until the ship jerked to a halt. They were thrown about their own ship when the giant one stopped. Before anyone could understand what was going on, something latched on to the Starlaze’s roof and pulled it up. The light was almost blinding at first. But then, standing outside the Starlaze, were several bipedal creatures made entirely of metal. About three or four of them had a golden hue, while the rest were blue. On their chests were emblems of a triangle with two lines to the left and right of it._

_“Get the occupants out of their ship,” one of the gold ones said. Several blue ones saluted, before blasting a hole into the side of the Starlaze and dragging everyone out._

_“Good work, team,” the gold one said. “Now take them over to Commander Rueneeg’s sector. He’ll be there in a few moments.”_

_The blue ones holding them saluted again, before marching them off the giant ship and onto the strange new planet they had been taken to. It was devoid of much detail, and the sky was a light grey. Strange, large-eared creatures with long tails and colourful eyes hovered about, and turned their heads when they and the blue ones holding them came by. Amienafleece heard some of them mutter to one another._

_“Looks like Commander Rueneeg’s back already.”_

_“What would he want with weird things like_ **_that?_ ** _”_

_“You know Commander Rueneeg does things his way. This is just part of it.”_

_“Great Leader Zewytomu, I hope those Starmen don’t get infected with whatever horrible germs those things have…”_

_The Starlaze crew were taken into a gigantic building with what appeared to be a glass roof. The blue things, Starmen, if Amienafleece was getting it right, directed them into a segment of this building with orange walls. More images of that emblem the Starmen wore on their chests appeared all over the place. Screens, towels, what appeared to be a drinking fountain - it was horrible. The Starmen eventually let go of the crew once they arrived in a large room with several green tubes lining the walls. It wasn’t long until another one of those white creatures they had seen outside teleported into the room. This one was much larger than the ones outside, and had pointed ears and and an orange glow around its white pupils._

_“Starmen, you are done here. Go,” the large white creature said. The Starmen saluted, then teleported away._

_The white creature looked down at the Starlaze crew, and looked them all over before saying, “Welcome, Milky Way inhabitants. I am Rueneeg. I’m sure you’ve heard of me by now.”_

_Ochy immediately snapped, “Now wot the he- heck was dat for, abductin’ us like dat?!”_ _  
_

_“Wow, you’re annoying,” Rueneeg commented._

_Ochy growled, and almost lunged at Rueneeg, but was stopped by Bababa crying, “Ba ba! Ba ba!”_

_“Oh? And we also have an idiot Barbot here,” Rueneeg added, looking down at Bababa. Bababa frowned. “You should be over in the Hyneta dump on Mercury, idiot. Same goes for you, Octobot.”_

_“Hey now, why would you go and insult our friends like that?” Vega questioned._

_“I’m just speaking the truth,” Rueneeg replied. “You’re all weak and pathetic. But especially_ **_you._ ** _” He pointed at Lucy._

_Lucy hugged Amienafleece’s arm. Using her free one, Amienafleece put her hand on Lucy’s head._

_“But we Zanue have been making many advancements over the last few years! We’ve been making things better. Stronger. And that includes living, breathing weaklings like you, too!” Rueneeg grabbed Lucy with a fingerless hand and pulled her closer to himself._

_“Amie!” Lucy cried._

_“Now you shut up, human,” Rueneeg told her. “This is for the greater good.”_

_Rueneeg hovered over a square control panel against a wall, and pressed a button on it. One of the green tubes opened at the front. Before he could do anything else, Colunne fired a PK Freeze Beta at Rueneeg. He dropped Lucy to the ground and he looked around for the source. As he did so, Bababa, Brane and Ochy rushed up to Lucy. Rueneeg’s eyes fell on Colunne, whose face was held tight in a frown._

_“Oh! It was you_ _who did that. You almost got me there, I’ll admit,” Rueneeg said, a hint of surprise in his voice. “But it’s no use trying to stop me. I have powers far beyond your comprehension. Watch this!”_

 _Rueneeg turned his gaze to Ochy, then raised a hand and pointed it at him. Something, something bright, something harsh, something_ **_terrifying_ ** _hit the Octobot, and before anyone knew it, he was… dead._

_“He should have been dead long ago,” Rueneeg stated. “Not only was I putting him out of his misery, I got the job done for that stupid Cerebrum, too!”_

_“Alright, listen here,” Vega growled, “You can’t say how someone feels for them. That’s something only they can decide.”_

_Rueneeg raised an eyebrow. “Was that part of an emotional speech? Gross.” He turned his gaze back to Lucy and said, “Right. Now. Back to what I was doi- OH FOR GREAT LEADER ZEWYTOMU’S SAKE, WOULD YOU STOP?!”_

_Bababa and Sollas began beating Rueneeg’s leg, while Brane used PSI attacks. It wasn’t doing very much to hurt him, but it was the distraction that counted._

_Sollas turned his head to the rest of the crew. “Colunne! Vega! Amienafleece! Get Lucy and GO!”_

_“But-! What about you?” Colunne asked._

_“NOW!”_

_Colunne and Amienafleece ran over to Lucy, while Vega leapt up onto Rueneeg’s tail and bit it. Rueneeg let out some kind of aura, maybe, that made Bababa, Sollas, Brane and Vega turn to ashes. He glared daggers at Amienafleece and Colunne._

_“Now. Now that I’ve taken care of_ **_them,_ ** _I can finally show you the power of our technology." He grabbed Lucy by the arm, and Colunne grabbed her legs. He tried to pull Lucy back to him and Amienafleece, but Rueneeg was much stronger. he flung Lucy into the green tube, and it closed itself once she was inside. Lucy called out to Amienafleece and Colunne, but her cries were muffled by the tube._

_“Now,” Rueneeg’s hand hovered over a single red button on the control panel, and it slammed down on it as he shouted, “WATCH!”_

_The green tube filled up with a liquid of some kind within seconds. Rueneeg turned a dial to the very right, and Lucy’s skin rapidly paled._

_“When this machine is done with your stupid little human, she’ll be a fighting fit soldier! I don’t care if speeding up the process this much is “more likely to cause malformations”; I’ve HAD IT with you STUPID MILKY WAY INHABITANTS! Cselir can go there herself if she wants specimens so much!”_

_Already Lucy had been transformed from a human child into some kind of sick caricature of both the white creatures of the planet and a human being. And by the second, she was becoming more alien, more unrecognisable. One leg had grown longer than the other, the tail that had forced its way out of her back was too high up and had a thick chunk in the middle, and her eyes, now completely black, had fogged over._

_Once the transformation had been completed, Rueneeg opened up the tube. Green-tinted liquid spilled everywhere as what was Lucy stumbled out. She propped herself on all fours. Her ears, now pointed and resting atop her hairless head, twitched, and her tail lashed._

_“Soldier, go get those stupid idiots!” With that, Rueneeg teleported away, and the malformed creature that Lucy had become lunged at Amienafleece._

_Amienafleece stepped out of the way, then told Colunne, “We have to get out of here!”_

_Colunne nodded, then the two of them ran out of the room. They ran down the halls, struggling to remember which way they went earlier in the heat of the moment. The creature that was Lucy snarled at them and tried to bite their feet as they ran. They eventually found their way out of the ginormous building, almost barrelling into a golden Starman. What was Lucy pounced on the Starman, prompting him to scream._

_“Sorry!” Colunne called out to him._

_The smaller white creatures watched with confusion as Colunne did this, then what was Lucy leaping off the golden Starman and chasing he and Amienafleece again. Before long, they had returned to the docking area, where Rueneeg’s ship was still parked. They ran aboard, chase by the creature that was Lucy. Amienafleece pushed several Blue Starmen out of the way, Colunne apologising to them as she did, as the two of them made their way down to the Starlaze. What was Lucy was just behind them as they found their ship having the hole that was shot into it being repaired. Amienafleece pushed a Starman over, causing a domino effect to occur and end with several Starmen laying on one another on the ground._

_Colunne ran up to the control panel and scanned it over._

_“Go! What are you waiting for?” Amienafleece cried._

_“I don’t remember which one is the start button!” Colunne replied._

_A_ **_bang_ ** _sounded from outside the ship. The creature that was Lucy was trying to get in._

_“It’s green!”_

_“What shade of green?”_

_“Just press all the green ones, we don’t have time!”_

_And so Colunne did. Thankfully the other green buttons just made the kitchen go a little bonkers. Colunne grabbed the control stick, and flew the Starlaze down and out of Rueneeg’s. A sharp scratching sound came from the outside of the ship. Then, only the hum of the engine._

* * *

The stars in the night sky twinkled, and the grass billowed in the cool breeze and felt nice on Gran’s wool. Wait, hadn’t she seen this before?

Colunne slithered over and sat down beside her. He stared up at her for a few moments before saying, “You’ve already been here before. You’ve already been to this memory. That’s… That’s not supposed to happen. I don’t know how you did that.” He paused before adding, “I mean, that time was a little off, what with the whole voice distortion thing from me… I also don’t know how that happened… but I guess... we could just talk for a little while?”

Gran put an arm around Colunne. “Of course.”

The two were silent as they looked out at the stars, trying to think of what to say.

“So…” Colunne said, “what have you been up to lately?”

Gran sighed. “Well, I stopped a war with the help of some very lovely young people.”

Colunne blinked. “A war?!”

“Yes. I know, it’s hard to believe. And what have you been up to?”

“Waiting for you. Ever since the Earth invasion.”

Then Gran blinked. “...All that time?”

Colunne nodded. “I couldn’t move on without talking to you one last time.”

Gran held Colunne closer. She found it hard to say anything. Colunne put an arm around her.

“I know, it’s hard to believe,” he said.

The two of them sat in silence, their arms wrapped around each other while the cool wind gently blew.

After a few long minutes, Colunne asked Gran, “Where are you headed next?”

“I don’t rightly know, my dear. But wherever it is, I’m sure it’ll be for a good reason. And I’ll be sure to think of you.”

Colunne smiled. “Thank you, angel.”

Colunne gave Gran a peck on the side of her face. The two of them sat together for a few minutes more. And after a while, Colunne began to glow.

“Well, I’d better get going,” Colunne said. “I don’t want to hold you up from your important adventure. And I’m sure the others will be happy to see me again.”

Gran’s vision blurred as Colunne let go of her. “I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too.”

Colunne began to glow brighter, and the ends of his tentacles began to dissipate and turn into small orbs of light.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The rest of Colunne’s body turned into small orbs of light, and they traveled up into the starry sky. A tear fell from Gran’s lower eye as he waved goodbye. And then, the corners of her vision went white...


	22. Grey Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We explore Tori’s Magicant and all the wonderful (and not) things it has to offer! Including a bunch of references to the Mother series and beyond.

The sky was a pastel purple this time. Tori instantly recognised this place. This was the field that she had seen in her dreams those two times. The field was much larger this time - the grass stretched out as far as the eye could see. And the pigs were still there, too. Tori smiled wide. She loved the pigs.

One of the pigs bumped her left leg with its nose. Tori looked down at it and said, “Hey, Steve!! How’s it goin’, buddy?”

Steve oinked. Tori crouched down and gave Steve a pat on the head. After a few moments, Steve nudged Tori’s hand away and returned to eating grass.

“Fair enough, buddy.” Tori stood up and looked around. “So is my test to pat all the pigs? That’s…! ...That’s a lot of pigs.”

But there wasn’t any time to waste! Tori began to walk to the north, stopping to pet every pig she came across for a few seconds. Things were smooth going for the first couple of minutes, until she encountered a very strange pig. This pig was vibrant green instead of the light tan of the other pigs, and was visibly angry. For some reason, its eyes had a red shine in them. It glared up at Tori.

“Uh… Hey, buddy!” Tori nervously greeted the green pig, waving a little.

The green pig remained silent. 

“You look a little mad right now, buddy. Do you not want a pat?”

The green pig rammed into Tori’s legs, knocking her to the ground.

“What the heck, man?”

The green pig ran up to her and stomped on her stomach. Even through her thick uniform, it still hurt. She sat up, and looked down at the pig.

“I don’t wanna hurt you, okay? Give it a rest!” she told it.

The green pig didn’t listen, and pushed her to the ground and stomped on her again. After whispering an apology, Tori threw the green pig off her body and fired a PK Fire Gamma at it. This harmed the pig quite a fair bit, but wasn’t quite enough to to defeat it. The green pig began to charge up to her, but was stopped by Tori firing a PK Fire Alpha. The green pig vanished into thin air. It was out of self defense, but she still felt bad about fighting a pig. 

Tori clutched her stomach and muttered to herself, “Well, let’s find out if there’s any place to rest. Hopefully I won’t have to fight more pigs.”

Unfortunately, there were more pigs to fight. Not too many, but more than one was more than enough. The friendly pigs that Tori came across were given a pat on the head. Soon, Tori came across four small wooden cabins. She quickend her pace, and soon arrived in front of them. She stepped up the steps of the very left cabin, and knocked on the door. A small, white, wooly creature, with large ears, presumably some sort of sheep changed by dream powers, stood at the door, giving her a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, hey there!” Tori said, waving a little. “I was just wondering if there’s any room in you cabin for me to rest for a bit?”

The small, wooly thing stared at her for a moment before replying with a surprisingly deep voice, “‘Fraid not, but I can help ya learn a new PSI technique. Come on in.”

The wooly thing motioned for her to come inside as it did the same. Tori glanced to the side for a brief moment before entering the wooly thing’s house. She closed the door behind her and looked around. There was nothing but the wooly thing and herself in the cabin, a window on the back wall, and almost no space to move around. It looked a lot bigger on the outside.

“Now, I _would_ get you to run around the place saying some dumb chant that means nothing, but you don’t have time, and Magicant is Magicant, who knows what weird power it’ll draw out instead,” the wooly thing told her.

“This place… is Magicant?” Tori asked.

“Yup. Now. New PSI technique. Let’s stay focused.” The wooly thing clapped its hands twice as if to prove its point, then asked, “It’s been a while since you learned one, ey?”

Tori nodded.

“Well, not to worry. Lil ol’ me’s gonna help you get a new one, no fighting Bad Piggies involved. Here I go.” 

The wooly thing rubbed its hands together and began humming really loudly. The hums turned into bleats, and only increased in volume. It then held its hands out at Tori and shouted. Tori felt a little bit of energy flow through her, which then redirected itself to her fingertips.

The wooly thing cleared its throat and said, “There. One PSI Magnet Omega, just for you. You’re done here, and so am I.”

With that, the wooly thing vanished in a cartoonish white cloud. Tori stared at the cloud wide-eyed as is slowly dissipated. Once the cloud was gone, Tori exited the cabin and went to the next one. She knocked on the door and waited. No reply. She frowned, and knocked on it again. Still no reply. She knocked again. Squeaker toy squeaks came from inside the cabin and up to the door, and it was kicked open. Tori stepped back as it swung out, then leaned forward and held it in place. Inside the cabin was a Mr. Saturn, who looked delighted to see her.

“Hi ho!” he greeted. “How you?”

With a great big smile, Tori replied, “Good! What about you?”

“I fine!” The Mr. Saturn noisily breathed in, then out. “Air good. You smell air? It smell like grass!”

Tori took a couple of sniffs. Like the Mr. Saturn said, the air did smell like grass. It was a nice smell. A comforting smell.

“Enjoy smell!” the Mr. Saturn told her. “Won’t smell lot of it soon. Why the deeper areas take it away?”

The Mr. Saturn then waddled inside, and Tori closed the door behind him. She… didn’t like the sound of what was ahead. She shoved her hands in her pockets and went on to the next cabin. Hopefully she could take her time.

The door of the next cabin opened before she could even knock on it. The… thing living in it was some sort of… bull? Maybe? It had horns. It was a weird, dull green, with closed (probably?) eyes and stood on two legs. Or were those four legs that looked like two? It was hard to tell what exactly it was.

“I knew you would be coming to see me,” the thing told her.

“Oh. Uh…”

“The things you see here aren’t real. You can touch them, hold them, all sorts. But they’re not real. None of this is. It’s all in your mind.”

Tori was stunned into silence. She stared wide-eyed at the horned thing.

It smiled as it said, “That’s the nature of Magicant!”

It then slammed the door in front of her. Tori stood there for a few moments, trying to make sense of what had just happened, before moving on to the final cabin. She knocked, and the door opened just a split second after she had finished. The inhabitant of the cabin was a small rabbit-looking thing. It was hard to tell if it was a rabbit or a monkey. It kinda looked like both.

“Hey there…! Uh, what have you been up to?” Tori asked the rabbit/monkey.

“Reading,” the rabbit/monkey replied. “All the truths of the world exist in a place out of reach. Not even I, a being of your subconscious, can reach it. I doubt you could reach it, but who knows.”

Tori stood completely still for a few moments, looking down, wide-eyed, at the rabbit/monkey, then slowly stepped back down the stairs. She then hastily walked a short distance away from the four cabins.

“Well, that was… something,” she murmured to herself. “Only one of those cabins helped me in some way!” She sighed, then kept walking, slower this time.

As Tori walked through the field, an invisible sun began to set. The pigs wound down to sleep, even the Bad Piggies. Before long, the sky had become a deep blue, and the stars twinkled in it. There was still no trace of any other area around, contrary to what the Mr. Saturn from the cabin had mentioned. Was she going to be stuck here forever?

Tori spotted a fire in the distance. It was far from where she was at that point, but it was better than nothing. She quickened her pace as she headed towards the fire. As she got closer, she started to hear the sound of a guitar. She arrived at it a few minutes later, and sitting next to the fire was a man wearing a cowboy hat and a red bandana around his neck. He was gently playing a guitar, and behind him was a pale blue tent. Tori sat down next to him quietly and watched him play it for a couple of minutes. The man noticed her, and stopped playing.

“Y’alright there?” he asked. He had a very thick southern accent.

“Uh, yeah! I was just watching you play,” Tori replied.

The man adjusted his hat. “Fair ‘nough.” He looked over at Tori as he told her, “You can rest up in my tent fer the night, if ya want. Ya look a bit beat up.”

“Oh! Thank you, sir!” Tori said.

The man returned to playing his guitar, and Tori watched him for a while longer. The sound of it was calming to her. In that moment, it felt like all of her worries had melted away - it was just her and this kind stranger in front of a campfire. She didn’t know how long she had sat there listening to the man play his guitar, but it must have been a while when she let out a yawn. She crawled into the man’s tent and stuffed herself into the sleeping bag inside. She drifted off to sleep shortly afterward.

Tori awoke feeling refreshed. She fought her way out of the sleeping bag, then crawled outside. The man was gone, and so was any trace of the campfire.

_‘Weird.’_

Not seeing much else to do, Tori kept walking the same way she had been before she fell asleep. It wasn’t long before she could start to see a door in the distance. She headed towards it, taking notice of the distinct lack of Bad Piggies. She could have sworn she saw Buzz Buzz, Gran and Leicra somewhere in the distance, too, cheering her on. Even though they didn’t seem to get any closer as she walked, it still put a smile on her face. Soon, she reached the door. She turned the doorknob and opened it, and a bright white light flooded her vision and blinded her.

...She wasn’t really sure what she was expecting from that. Once the light had faded, she found herself in a bustling city. There were greys and blue-greys and pink-greys and other various grey-tinted colours all around, as well as towers that reached up into the sky. The place reminded her of home, somewhat, though the amount of pig snouts slapped onto some buildings and the billboards indicated that the tales of New Pork City had she had heard had influenced this place too.

As Tori walked down the footpath and took in the sights, she noticed something odd about the other people walking around. Their colour was gone. They all had grey faces, and walked with their hands in their pockets and their faces to the ground, desolate and miserable. She paused to take a sniff of the air. She almost gagged on the scent of car fumes.

_‘That Mr. Saturn was right, hot damn,’_ Tori thought as she looked around with a frown. _‘This place reeks.’_

Tori kept walking, hoping to find someplace that looked familiar, or at least comforting. She hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going, though, as she bumped into someone much larger than her. She looked up to see who she had bumped into - a tall, muscular man with only a large eye on his face. The man smoked a cigarette despite having no mouth to do so. An anthropomorphic pig wearing the standard Pigmask uniform peeked from behind the man.

“So, thought you could just walk into me and my pal here, did ya?” the man growled.

“No- I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention, I just got lost in thought. It won’t happen again!” Tori replied.

The man narrowed his eye at her and stared for a few too many long moments, then looked down at the pig. They stared at each other for a couple of moments before the man looked back at Tori.

“Yeah, na. We don’t believe ya. Get ready for a beatin’!”

The man threw a punch at Tori, who quickly stepped out of the way. He growled, then tried again. He hit her this time, in the chest. Tori let out an agitated yelp before firing a PK Fire Gamma at the man and the pig. The pig squealed in pain, while the man seemed indifferent to the flames scorching him. The man yelled at the pig to attack Tori, and the pig followed orders. It tackled her to the ground, and Tori retaliated by throwing the pig off her, then getting up and kicking it in the crotch. The pig squealed in pain again, much louder this time, then ran off.

“PUSSY!” the one-eyed man yelled after the pig. The insult did nothing to bring the pig back into the fight. 

The man growled, then threw another punch. Tori got hit again, and retaliated with another PK Fire Gamma. The battle went on for another couple of minutes, with the man throwing punches, occasionally kicking, and Tori mainly using her PSI against him. The man soon lost.

“Don’t think you’ve won just yet,” the man panted after his defeat. “There’s still more of us City Slickers and Piggy Guys around this city!” With that, the man ran away.

_‘Huh. I guess that guy was a City Slicker and that pig guy was, uh- a Piggy Guy? Makes sense to me.’_

Tori continued to explore the city, having to battle some more City Slickers and Piggy Guys along the way. They usually came separately, but sometimes they’d team up with each other or come in a City Slicker/Piggy Guy pair. She liked to call those pairs Road Hogs.

She stumbled upon one apartment building in the Magicant city with a big sign on it reading, “Safe House”. The door was one of the only ones that was unlocked. She glanced around before slipping inside.

The people sitting in the small lounge inside were the only human people she had seen who didn’t have grey faces. It was a relief. Her younger brother, Benji, and Doctor Andonuts sat opposite each other, watching TV. The TV was filled with static.

As the door closed behind her, Benji and Doctor Andonuts turned to look at her. Doctor Andonuts waved politely, and Benji called out, “Hey Tori! Long time no see!”

“Yeah it has! How’s it goin’, dude?” Tori asked as she gave her brother a high five.

“Good, you’re sure.”

Tori frowned with confusion. It took her a few moments before realising exactly what he meant.

Doctor Andonuts cleared his throat, and adjusted his glasses. Both Tori and Benji looked over at him.

“There is a cannon upstairs that will take you to the exit of this part of Magicant,” Doctor Andonuts told Tori.

“Dude, doesn’t that lead to the mech, though?” Benji asked. Tori gulped.

“It does, but going there is necessary,” Andonuts replied.

Tori quietly let out a sigh.

“Well, I know your friends are up there, too,” Benji told her. “They’ll help you blast off.”

A faint smile appeared on Tori’s face. “Well, that’s a relief.”

“You should get going soon,” Doctor Andonuts told her. “I know you’d like to stay and chat, but the fate of the world is up to you, as well as your friends.”

“Right. Well, I’ll see you later, then.” Tori waved goodbye as she headed out of the lounge and up the stairs. Benji and Doctor Andonuts waved back.

There were two sets of stairs, separated by a strip of floor that served as a corner of sorts. It didn’t take very long to climb up both of them, though. One the second floor was a single room with a large window in the wall, opened up. Buzz Buzz, Gran and Leicra were standing nearby the aforementioned cannon, which was sitting in front of the window. Buzz Buzz gave her a thumbs up with one of his right hands.

Gran took a step forward as she asked, “Are you ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Tori replied, casting a glance out the window.

She walked around to the front of the cannon and climbed inside. Leicra walked over to the end of the cannon, got out a lighter, and lit the fuse at the end of the cannon. The flame sizzled up the fuse, and only a few seconds passed before Tori was shot out of the cannon and sent flying through the air. It was only then she realised that she should have gotten some safety gear, but it was a bit late for that now, wasn’t it?

Tori landed and skidded on the ground front first. Ow. She gingerly stood up, brushing herself off. She then looked out in front of her. There was a wide road in front of her, but no cars, or even buildings to the side. Instead, there were four statues, and that mech standing on a pedestal in the distance. There _were_ a large amount of grey-faced people wandering about, looking at the statues, though.

Tori reluctantly sighed.

_‘Well, at least there’s these statues I can look at first.’_

The first statue on the left she recognised as King P - or at least, how she imagined he looked. Not very many had seen what he looked like, and those who had were made to promise not to tell. So, she imagined him as a stereotypical cartoon king with the roundest tummy, complete with the bushy eyebrows and moustache. The only discrepancy from the cartoons was the pig snout in place of a regular human nose.

The statue had a plaque underneath, and Tori assumed the rest did too. She read the King P statue’s plaque to herself under her breath.

“King P. He’s an asshole. I’m not sure how he gets his propaganda to be so effective - it’s like brainwashing. Super creepy. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here in 200X right now. At first, I thought that was a bad thing, but now I’m not so sure…”

Tori looked over at the other statues to the right.

“So I guess these statues are like, reflections of what I think…? Weird,” she mumbled to herself.

She made her way over to the first statue on the right. The figure in question was much taller and thinner than King P, but didn’t have many details on him at all. Tori didn’t need to read this statue’s plaque to know who this was at all. But she read it anyway.

“Captain Zeta. I’ve heard a lot about him. Who is he? Is he someone I know?”

Tori frowned at the plaque for a moment, then up at the statue. She decided to move on.

The second statue to the right was of a kid no older than 12, with his hands clasped together and singing. He didn’t have many features either, but for a different reason than the Captain Zeta statue.

“Ninten, that kid who defeated that alien guy back in the 80’s. I think he had some weird method for defeating him? I don’t actually remember, I never paid much attention in History.”

The second statue off to the right, and the final statue Tori could visit, was simply of the Devil’s Telephone. There was no other way to visualise the… _being._ Not because he was such an abstract concept, but because she had never seen the guy in person before. At least the plaque was comprehensible.

“Giygas, leader of the Starmen. Or some of them, apparently. He took over this timeline’s Earth… and he gives me the creeps. I hope he doesn’t cause any more problems for Earth, or for the Apple of Enlightenment’s chosen ones.”

With all the statues visited, there was only one last landmark in the area to visit - the mech. Tori bit her lip, then tentatively walked up to the mech.

The mech was only based on rumours passed down from Pigmask to Pigmask, but damn, if it wasn’t terrifying to even _think_ about. It had six monstrous legs, three on each side, and had thorns coming off them. The seat of the mech sat inside a capsule, and that capsule was surrounded by a lumpy frame, constructed of a sleek and shiny black metal. Standing so close to it terrified her, but nobody else seemed to notice. Instead, they flocked to it like a flock of seagulls to dropped takeaways, gawking and aweing at the sight of the mech. They just didn’t seem to understand what the mech meant, the story behind it - and it was only now that Tori noticed that the mech didn’t have a plaque. The crowd’s chattering grew louder and louder, until it overwhelmed all of her senses. It was hard to keep a grip on both her temper and her surroundings; everything was becoming a grey blur, but the crowd’s excited chattering remained clear. 

Something erupted from her throat - she wasn’t sure if it cut through the crowd or was drowned out by it, though. She did hear a loud **bang,** and everything went black.

A few moments passed before Tori realised she had her eyes closed. She cautiously opened one, and the other followed. She found that her surroundings were grayscale, and in front of her, a small house. She recognised it, though.

“This was the house I was staying in when this all started,” she murmured.

She opened the front door and went inside. Everything stayed right where she left it. Nothing had moved. She cast a couple of nervous glances around, before going into the room where she did her studies.

Only one thing had changed in this room. The potted plant on the window sill. It had grown tall and strong, and its green shone like a beacon compared to the grey of everything else around. Her mouth had dropped open slightly at the sight. She slowly walked up to it and stared for many a moment.

After those long moments had passed, the plant spoke. “Tori. It’s been a long road getting here, hasn’t it?”

Tori could only find it in her to nod.

“You’ve been very strong. I admire your strength and your perseverance. It’s started to wilt, though, I’ve noticed. Do not be afraid. Everything will turn out alright in the end. I know this to be true, since you haven’t given up thus far. Do not give up hope, alright? You’re very strong. When you wake up, Magicant will disappear. But my words will remain in your heart. Now go. It’s time for you to face the end of your long journey.”

Everything around Tori began to fade to white. The potted plant was one of the last things to fade, but as it did, she could have sworn it waved goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as of this chapter, this fic is 15 487 words longer than my last mutlichapter fic, morph. and it's not even done yet.


	23. Red Hauntings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _But if you close your eyes,_   
>  _Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?_   
>  _And if you close your eyes,_   
>  _Does it almost feel like you’ve been here before?_
> 
> There's only one Magicant left.

Buzz Buzz arrived near a beach - the grass was dry and crunchy underfoot, and there was plenty of sand mixed in as well. The gentle splashing of waves filled the air. He had opened his eyes to find himself right near a cliff, with a ladder to the top nearby - it formed a semicircle around the area near the beach.

_ ‘How did I…? How did I return home…?’ _

The village looked how it did before Giygas arrived. It looked how it should have. Though the houses were slightly off from how they were in reality, Buzz Buzz still knew exactly whose house was whose.

Buzz Buzz flew over to the village. Many people were out and about, going about their routine jobs while the children played. Though something was off. Somehow, it took more than a few moments to realise that everyone else was now some sort of insectoid, too. There were some mantises, a couple of ladybugs, a fly, and some butterflies and cicadas here and there. Despite looking completely different now, he could still instantly recognise them all. He took the time to talk to all of them. They seemed relatively the same as he last saw them, but they didn’t really… say much. Just a phrase or two. But he knew there was one person who he could actually talk to.

Buzz Buzz backtracked a little, and stood before his old house. He took a deep breath in before exhaling. 

He stood in the doorway and said, “Ma?”

His mother, now a rhino beetle like him, looked up from the flax weaving she was doing on the floor. Her face lit up with a smile as she said, “Buzz!”

She stood up and walked over to him, then embraced him in a hug. She was still somewhat taller than him, despite the ten years they hadn’t seen each other and the fact they were both beetles.

“I’ve missed you so much, Buzz,” she told him.

“I missed you too, Ma,” Buzz Buzz replied.

Buzz Buzz’s mother pulled away slightly as she said, “I’m very proud of you for having the courage to come back. I always had faith you would, I just wasn’t sure when. I was able to keep in touch with Apoen, at least, and while they didn’t know when you would come back, they told me to take you to their cave.”

Buzz Buzz thought back to his first visit to Metis Cove, after he had teleported himself and the rest of the team there while running from Captain Astra. That one small instance made a lot more sense now.

“You can stay a while here, if you wish,” his mother told him.

“Of course!” Buzz Buzz replied, a small shock in his voice. “Why would I not?”   


Buzz Buzz’s mother giggled a bit. “I just thought that maybe you were still as hasty as were back then. Come sit next to me while I continue my weaving. You can tell me about everything you’ve been up to.”

And so he did. He told her about meeting Tori, and the Stormin Food Lab, the ferry to Winters and the kraken they met while aboard it, and about meeting Gran, and arriving in Autumns, meeting Leicra and seeing the Apple of Enlightenment up close, and visiting all the Chosen One’s Sanctuaries, and stopping the war between the Pigmasks and the Starmen, and all the other people he met along the way.

He didn’t realise how long he had been talking to his mother. By the time he was done, the sun was starting to set. His mother gave him some dinner regardless. It had been so long since Buzz Buzz had a proper meal. Even if it barely mattered to him anymore, it still felt nice to feel it warm his body.

“I hear the entrance to the deeper parts of Magicant open once the sun has set,” his mother said, looking outside at the setting sun. “That will be where you need to go, yes?”

Buzz Buzz nodded, casting a glance to the floor.

Buzz Buzz’s mother stepped over to him and put a hand on his head. “Do not worry. I believe you will succeed in changing the earth’s fate.” She gave him a light kiss on the forehead and told him, “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to talk some other day.”

“Thank you, Ma.”

“You are most welcome, Buzz. Now go. Do not be anxious about the future.”

With that, his mother sent him off, back into his Magicant. As he wandered around the village, waiting for the sun to sink below the horizon, Buzz Buzz spotted a statue, but a very strange one. It was of a shoulder.

He flew closer and landed in front of it to examine it. It didn’t look to be anyone’s shoulder in particular. There was a plaque at the bottom, reading: “This is a human shoulder. Great for perching on!” And he supposed there was no purpose for the statue, other than for perching on.

Buzz Buzz decided to watch the sunset on the beach. He hadn’t been there in a while. He stood there, watching the waves drift in and out, and the sun shimmering on the water. Seeing it again put a smile on his face.

_ ‘Going around today… seeing old faces…  talking to Ma again… and being here at the beach… I almost feel like I really am home.’ _

He watched the waves until the sun sunk past the horizon. The instant it couldn’t be seen anymore, an eerie chill filled the air.

“I suppose that would be my cue,” Buzz Buzz muttered to himself.

He returned to the village, and noticed a cave that was not there previously. Guessing that was where he had to go next, he went inside.

He only took a few steps inside, and he already felt… strange. He felt he wasn’t in his body anymore; but that couldn’t have been right, otherwise how would he traverse this cave? He hopped up into the air and began to slowly fly further inside, his buzz of his wings echoing off the walls and filling the void a little. And then, he felt his foot touch the ground. His  _ human  _ foot.

He stared down for a few moments, eyes wide. The last boots he wore as a human, clad with steel, were standing on the inky black abyss that called itself a floor. And then as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone again in an instant. Buzz Buzz almost plummeted to the ground, but flew back up into the air before he could go splat.

The cave itself was less cave and more infinite black abyss that threatened to swallow him whole. There was nothing to guide him along but his faith that if he kept going forwards, he would reach the end without falling to his demise. And even just going forwards was hard, since he kept flickering between his current insectoid self and his old human form.

It seemed like forever he had been battling against the switches between his beetle and human forms as he went forwards into the darkness. There was a rhythm to it, which helped, but it was still tiring to have to put effort into moving one heavier foot past the other in his human form, then drag himself back up into the air once he went back to his beetle form he’d grown so used to. But eventually, he found his surroundings changing. The walls, floor and ceiling slowly became a shiny grey, and some dim lights appeared. They were dim, and flickered, but at least they gave him light, and that could only help.

Or at least, he thought that could only help until he saw what began appearing in the walls beside him.

Starman-made Cells. They lined the walls. Inside, red mist that could vaguely be considered people-shaped sat on their knees, their hands put right up to the screen doors of their cells. They had monstrous faces, but they also contorted in such a way that they looked scared. And sad. And they moaned from inside their cells.

“Help us, Buzz…”

“We’re so scared, so scared, so scared…”

“Don’t… leave… u s . . .”

Buzz Buzz couldn’t move. He  _ wanted  _ to, but his body refused.

_ ‘But… I saved the people from that Starman base! Why are they here now? Why is this happening? It can’t be! It can’t be happening…’ _

He took a sharp breath in, and forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. He forced himself to keep flapping his wings. Everything felt ten times heavier now - ironic, considering how just a couple of minutes ago he felt lighter than air.

The moans and pleads from the red mist people grew louder as he moved onward. Red mist seeped out from the walls and creeped along the floor. It started out thin, and gathered thickness as he slowly moved forward. 

“We’re so scared, so scared, so scared…”

“Ooh, aah, yargh!”

“Why won’t you help us, Buzz?”

“Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz Buzz… S a v e  u s . . .”

“I feel… so l o n e l y . . .”

“Come back to us, Buzz…”

The red mist had almost climbed up to his knees now. The walls had grown eyes, that watched his every movement with piercing red irises. The red mist people began to deform with panic and fear. A chill had made its home on Buzz Buzz’s back.

“Don’t… leave… u s . . .”

“Help us, Buzz…”

“Come… b a c k . . .”

“I feel… so l o n e l y . . .”

“Ooh, aah, yargh!”

“We’re so scared, so scared, so scared…”

“Why won’t you help us, Buzz?”

The voices became like a cacophony, echoing through the hall and ringing in his ears. It was the worst thing he had heard for a long, long time. The red mist that had filled the hall and climbed up his legs ended just a couple of feet in front of him, where it reached up and formed a wall. So this was a dead end, then? Was he just supposed to rot here, within a nightmare in a dream?

Buzz Buzz nervously glanced around, trying to avoid eye contact with the eyes all over the walls. He noticed that the last cell to the left had its door opened, and no one inside. There was only a thin trail of red mist inside, that went down a small hole in the floor. He walked up to it, and darted through once he was in his beetle form.

He had returned to the black abyss again. The red mist people could no longer be heard, as if they had fallen eerily silent at his departure. The thin trail of red mist continued in a straight line across the ground. He followed it, slowly regaining the proper use of his muscles. The trail of red mist led to a small, round room, with a single light from above shining down and giving shape to the walls and floor, and the sole inhabitant of it. A child.

He was only 12 or 13, at his guess. He wore a plain white t-shirt, and a pair of overalls, one strap broken, over it. His blond hair had grown messy. He held a spoon in his left hand - he must have used it to dig the hole. He stood with his back to Buzz Buzz. The child before him was a child who should not have been here. A child who had no business in anything he was involved in.

“It was about time you got here,” the child said.

Buzz Buzz was silent.

“You’ve always been slow on the uptake, you know? In the grand scheme of things.”

A beat.

“You know you can’t save everyone. Those in Cell Hall 3 were only a small number compared to the rest you didn’t help.”

Buzz Buzz frowned and pressed his lips together as he thought. “...I’m still going to try.”

“But why? You couldn’t save your family. You couldn’t save  _ me. _ ”

“I didn’t realise it would-!”

“You’re not strong enough. You never have, and you never will.”

The child dissolved into thin air, and a ladder to the light up above appeared. Buzz Buzz chose to stay still and reflect on the conversation before climbing upwards.

He found himself in the light again, which got some getting used to. He stood on a stony beach, unlike the one back in Metis Cove, in front of a perfectly round lake. He felt the senses of his beetle body return to him, and he felt at ease knowing it wouldn’t go changing on him, and that he was in it.

In the middle of the lake was a small island, and a figure standing on it. Curious, Buzz Buzz flew over to it. It only took about half a minute to arrive, but seeing the figure up close made him shudder.

It would have been almost identical to him when he was a human, if it weren’t for the golden horns and thin, slitted pupils. Its teeth, shining as it grinned wide, were sharp, as were the claws it had in place of regular human fingers.

“Well, well, look who finally decided to show up,” it said, slyly grinning.

Buzz Buzz wasn’t going to take any sort of games from… whoever this was. “Who are you?” he demanded.

“Ooo, cutting right to the chase? Someone must be cranky. Well, I’m your craving for praise. The part of you that’s stuck in the past, right were you could have gotten that. You can just call me Nightmare.”

Buzz Buzz’s eyes went wide. He knew exactly which part of his past Nightmare meant. He then frowned as he cast his initial shock aside. “I’m not going back there. That time was good for no one.”

“Yes, but don’t you want that praise again?” Nightmare asked. “Everyone loved you back then, Buzz…”

Buzz Buzz glanced down at the ground, his face contorting with nervousness. “Ye- Well…” He thought for a moment, before looking back at Nightmare and telling it, “There are people who love me now. And they love me for the person I am.”

“But that’s not nearly as many people! Don’t you want  _ more  _ people adoring you, like they did before? And giving you all their praise, all the time?”

“ _ You  _ do.”

Nightmare growled out an exasperated sigh. “You’re not listening to reason!”

“ _ You  _ aren’t!” Buzz Buzz yelled back. “I see now that you are the test that Apoen told me of… and if defeating you is what it takes to pass that test, then I will gladly do so!”

Nightmare scoffed. “You think you can fight  _ me?!  _ You, with that fragile little body of yours? Even if you were still human, you wouldn’t stand a chance! You can’t beat me. Because you are the one who forced me into being.”

Nightmare raised its right hand, and shot out a bolt of PK Thunder. Buzz Buzz narrowly darted out of the way, then cast PSI Shield Alpha on himself.

He began to ask, “How do you…?”

Nightmare didn’t respond, instead shooting another bolt of PK Thunder at him. Buzz Buzz darted out of the way again. Nightmare growled, then raised both hands and cast PK Thunder Beta. Buzz Buzz darted around again, even though he was in no danger of being hit by either bolt.

Nightmare growled. “Stay still, would you?”

Nightmare cast another PK Thunder Beta, which Buzz Buzz avoided again. Nightmare was not pleased by this. It shot out more PK Thunder Betas, and Buzz Buzz darted between the bolts of psychic lightning. He wasn’t too sure how well the next part of his plan would work, but he would try anyway. He then rammed his horn into Nightmare, then dart back. Nightmare reeled from the blow, holding a hand to where Buzz Buzz had attacked him.

“That REALLY hurt! Do that less!” it yelped.

It held up its free hand and cast PK Thunder Gamma. Buzz Buzz almost got fried by one of the bolts, but he dodged all three. Nightmare screamed in anger, and shot out one round of PK Thunder Gamma after another. There had to have been six usages of the move altogether in that round alone. Buzz Buzz dodged them all narrowly, then rammed into Nightmare again. It screamed in pain, then fell to the ground.

“You… How did you…” were its final words before dissolving into thin air.

Buzz Buzz landed on the ground, panting. He felt a great power flow all through him from the ground. It tingled.

From up above, a voice rang out, “WOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Buzz Buzz’s Offense went up by 80! WOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Buzz Buzz’s Guts went up by 80!”

Buzz Buzz put a hand to his mouth as he stifled a laugh.

Another voice, different from the first, said to him, “Buzz, the next time you use your PSI Shields, you will find that they block an attack completely. This power will be needed in the near future. Buzz, I trust that you will use this power responsibly. Buzz… good luck.”

“Apoen?”

Everything around Buzz Buzz went white, and he opened his eyes to see… 


	24. Out of This World

A Mr. Saturn.

That was the first thing Buzz Buzz saw when he awoke from his Magicant. It certainly wasn’t the first thing he thought he’d see upon emerging, but there he was, the Mr. Saturn’s nose almost pressed up to Buzz Buzz’s face.

“You with others?” the Mr. Saturn asked.

Buzz Buzz stood frozen in confusion for a moment, before buzzing up into the air and asking, “The others?”

“The others! Bandana, Wooly and Not-Piggy!” the Mr. Saturn cheerily told him.

Buzz Buzz thought on the weird names for a moment before two and two clicked together. _‘The Mr. Saturn must be referring to Leicra, Gran and Tori!’_

“I am with them, yes!” Buzz Buzz told the Mr. Saturn.

“Goodie! I go tell other Mr. Saturn that you here now. You go find your others! They outside.” The Mr. Saturn then waddled away.

Buzz Buzz flew out of the spacious tent that he had awoken in to find himself someplace he didn’t recognise as somewhere on Earth. The sky was filled with stars, and multiple moons could be seen from where he was. He didn’t even bother counting the moons he could see; he knew it would take far too much time. The ground was beige, with an unearthly flatness and somewhat translucent. The other Mr. Saturns that wandered around were on blue platforms made of some strange metal Buzz Buzz had never seen. It was the most bizzare thing he had ever seen in his entire life.

Buzz Buzz was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a loud, metallic screech. Then another. Then another. Then another. They were short, but they hurt his ears a lot. 

Buzz Buzz flew over to the source of the metallic screeches, then screamed. “Leicra, what are you _doing?!_ ”

Leicra paused, lowering the golden sword that was in their hands, and looked up at Buzz Buzz, “Oh, hello Buzz Buzz! I was just scratching off my emblem.” They were sitting next to Gran, who gave a friendly wave.

Buzz Buzz sputtered, then gestured to the sword with his right hands. “With- With _that?!_ Leicra, you could hurt yourself!”

“Don’t worry, Buzz Buzz! I’m getting close to being done.” They shuffled around and turned their body to Buzz Buzz, then pointed at where their emblem used to be. “See?”

In place of their emblem was a series of scratches in the shape of a star. There was still some stray bits of their shell that needed to be filled in with a scratch, but for the most part, it looked like it had been completely erased.

“I… see,” was all Buzz Buzz could manage to reply with.

“I thought that just leaving it scratched off messily would look bad, so I decided to make it a star!” Leicra told him.

“Fair enough. But, um, two things. One, where did you get the sword? And two, is the design around your eye… _also_ scratched on?” Buzz Buzz asked.

Leicra held up the golden sword they had been using to scratch the star onto their shell and told Buzz Buzz, “Xa and Tu gave this to me! They said it’s called the Meteoran Sword, which is supposed to be used by the Hero of the Meteorite from local legend. Apparently, that’s you, Buzz Buzz, but you are much too small to use it effectively. I was the first to wake up from Magicant, so they gave it to me.” They looked at the Meteoran Sword and added, “I don’t know how to use it, though. And yes, the design around my eye is scratched on.”

Buzz Buzz stared at Leicra for a few moments, concern written all over his face.

Gran patted the spot beside her, then told Buzz Buzz, “How about you come sit next to me?”

Buzz Buzz nodded as he flew over and landed next to Gran. He looked up at the sky and asked, “So where are we?”

“Saturn, we’ve been told,” Gran replied.

Buzz Buzz almost fell over from shock. “Saturn?!”

“Yes. It’s a very… interesting place, isn’t it?”

Buzz Buzz nodded.

To their left, Tori came over and stood beside Leicra. “Well, I looked, but this “Xa” person doesn’t seem to be around. I dunno _how_ the Mr. Saturns are communicating with them.”

Buzz Buzz darted up into the air. “Tori?”

Tori’s face lit up. “Buzz Buzz!!”

She ran over to him, a great big smile on her face, and said, “Oh man, you’re alright! You were taking a while, and I was getting worried! Thank God you’re okay!”

Buzz Buzz let out a awkward laugh. “Well, I’m alright now, aren’t I?”

“Dude, if I could, I would totally hug you right now!”

Buzz Buzz chuckled under his breath, then made himself home on Tori’s shoulder. Tori sat down next to Gran and looked up at the starry sky. The four of them simply sat there together, Leicra adding the final touches to their new marking while Gran, Tori and Buzz Buzz simply looked up at the sky. After a few minutes, a golden speck in the sky came closer to them, then suddenly disappeared. It then reappeared in front of them, scaring them out of their wits. It was a giant golden bird with dark blue eyes and two long feathers crested on its head, looking similar to ears. It landed on the platform just below them, and a familiar man slid off its back. The giant bird then flew up to the four and smiled.

“Good evening,” the bird said. “I am Xa, one of the guardians of this planet, and all life on it. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Leicra set down the Meteoran Sword and waved, and Gran said, “Hello!”

Tori had her mouth wide open, and after a few long moments of staring, she closed it, then said, “You’re…”

“Not what you were expecting?” Xa’s sincere laugh rang like wind chimes. “It’s not the first time I have gotten that today. The man that I brought here said the same thing.”

Xa looked over her shoulder to watch the man approach. Tori gasped when he came close enough to make out detail in his appearance. 

“Taco!” she exclaimed.

Taco shushed her, then told her, “I’m trying to keep as low a profile as possible. I knew that you four would come here, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Should we call you by some other name?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“Yes, I believe that would work best. Call me… um…” Taco smacked his cheeks in thought before snapping his fingers and saying, “Dolphin. Call me Dolphin from now on.”

“Okay, Dolphin!” Leicra replied.

Dolphin looked over at Leicra and observed them for a moment. “That star on your chest is new, isn’t it?”

“It is!” Leicra replied, their face lighting up a bit. “I carved it there myself.”

“With… what?” Xa asked, concern on her face.

“The Meteoran Sword!” Leicra held up the sword.

“Ah… Leicra… that’s…” Xa sighed. “Nevermind. What’s done is done.”

Xa smiled, and said to the four, “You must be wondering what I do here, musn’t you?”

The four all nodded.

“I thought as much. I don’t believe Tu would be back from his check-up on the Hero’s Launchpad and the Cave of Enlightenment,” Xa explained. “My brother, Tu, and I, we are two of the last of our kind. We are the guardians of Saturn, and do our best to protect all the life and treasures that reside here. We… have not been doing such a great job recently, as much as it pains me to say that. You see, this planet is the Apple of Enlightenment’s home, but it was stolen from its resting place not long ago by Giegue. I do not know how he became aware of the planet being its home, but what I do know is that without the prophetic powers of the Apple, our defenses have been severely crippled. Dolphin here has told me of his vision of the invaders that will be coming here, but without many more details, we are still weak. But I digress. With all these different invaders coming to Saturn, my brother and I have been finding it hard to keep up. We only wish for everyone’s safety. But with you here, Hero of the Meteorite, and an Agent, too - we may now have a chance of ensuring everyone’s safety.”

Dolphin then added, “I did forsee multiple Starmen and a strange mech coming to this planet, as well as you four, so I advise you all to be careful.”

A loud cackling sounded from behind Xa and Dolphin. They turned around to see a group of about seven Starmen approach. Five of these Starmen were simply standard soldiers, and wouldn’t be distinguishable from one another to the human eye, but two of them were very familiar; Elex and Captain Astra.

“Well, you won’t have to be worrying too much about your silly little apple now,” Elex told Xa. “We were sent here to put it back in its place. Lord Giygas’ orders.”

“And wouldn’t you know it! Just who I thought I’d see here, too! #3827-γ and their _friends,_ ” Astra sneered. He turned to the his squadron and hollered, “What did I tell you? I TOLD you they would be here!”

Elex huffed. “Yes, yes, we know, captain.”

Astra grabbed Elex’s shoulders and exclaimed, “I was right! I was right this whole time, Elex! You said I was crazy-”

“You _are-_ ”

“-but look! Those four who have gotten in our way so many times, right here like I said they would be!”

Elex stepped away from Captain Astra and with a stern frown, and told him, “Captain, I don’t like where you’re headed. This-” he gestured at Astra, “-isn’t like you.”

Astra held Elex’s gaze for a few long moments, then turned to Xa, Dolphin, and the four. “Ignore him! He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

One of the Starmen cleared their throat, then said, “Um, if I may, I just wanna go ahead and say that we’re also here to, like, kick all of your asses. So that’s a thing.”

Captain Astra spun on his heels to face the Starman that just spoke up. “What is wrong with you, #7269-β?! Don’t just _tell them_ our evil plan!” he whined.

“A-Ah, apologies, captain.”

Captain Astra then turned back to Xa, Dolphin and the four and told them, “Lord Giygas no longer needs the Apple of Enlightenment, so he got us to return it. I don’t know why he didn’t just destroy it, but whatever. He then ordered us to annihilate every living thing on this planet afterwards, and that’s exactly what we plan to do!”

#7269-β squinted at his captain.

“... _After_ we scout it out. It’s very important to know what’s where,” Captain Astra added.

A series of loud **clanks** came from behind the squadron, slowly coming closer. Everyone - except Astra - looked at who was approaching and went wide-eyed.

One of the Starmen tapped Astra’s shoulder and hurriedly told him, “Captain, there’s… _someone_ coming! I think we should-”

Captain Astra waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t be ridiculous, #6528-β.”

“ARE YOU FFFFFFFFREAKING KIDDING, CAPTAIN?!” another Starman yelled.

The clanking came to a halt, and the new arrival on the scene stood right behind Captain Astra and his squadron.

“I agree. It is very important to know where everything is. I’ve already been around the entire planet,” he said. He sounded strangely young, and yet, strangely elderly.

Tori straightened her back instinctively. Her mouth had opened slightly, but whatever she wanted to say wasn’t coming out. Buzz Buzz had buzzed off her shoulder, squinting at the new arrival on the scene.

“Porkey,” he growled. “What are you doing here?”

A child with elderly features and pale skin riding within a large, rectangular mech with six long legs, presumably Porkey, looked at Buzz Buzz from behind his long and scruffy grey hair, eyebrows raised. “Me? I’m just moving my reign here! Doctor Andonuts said it would be a good idea.”

Tori took a sharp breath in, and after a moment of searching for words, she said, “... _That’s_ what you look like?!”

Porkey looked at Tori. He stayed completely still for a short moment, before cracking a smile, then bursting into laughter. The laughter turned into a coughing fit soon after. 

“Oh my God,” Tori muttered.

“And you must be the soldier that thought they’d be funny and suggest the idea to Doctor Andonuts,” Porkey said. “You must think you’re cute, rebelling against me. I would bother with getting you back in line if you were a higher rank, but losing a regular soldier to a little rebellion is no big deal. I’ve heard whispers of what you and your little… troupe want to do, however, and I can’t allow that.” Porkey coughed some more, then wheezed.

Captain Astra then spoke up, saying, “You sound very sure of yourself for a wrinkly human baby.”

“WHAT DID YOU JUST-” Porkey entered another coughing fit.

Elex turned to Captain Astra. “Captain, we should just go and scout out the planet. There’s no use in talking to…” Elex cast a glance up at Porkey for a moment, then back at Astra, “...him.”

Astra thought about this for a moment, then replied, “But, those four… they’re here… We could attack them…”

“And what will that achieve for us, huh? Wasting time that could be spent scouting Saturn?” Elex’s face turned from annoyance to concern as he said, “Come on, captain. Let’s just scout Saturn like we’re meant to.”

Astra thought for a moment more, before quietly sighing. “I guess so.” He turned to the rest of his squadron and yelled, “Come on, team. Let’s move out.”

The squadron turned and began to leave, but were stopped by a leg of Porkey’s mech stomping down in front of them.

“Not so fast. I may have lost the opportunity to have you Starmen the first time, but I’m not about to let this opportunity pass me by. You’re coming with me.”

Buzz Buzz darted right up to the glass that covered Porkey and growled, “You will do no such thing. Even if I am their opposition, they still deserve their free will. By taking them away and forcing them to work for you, you are taking away their free will. And I will not stand by and allow that to happen.”

Porkey was silent, then smirked. “...Alright. I won’t take them, then.”

He backed up, and announced, “But don’t think you won’t see me again!” He turned around and left the way he came. Buzz Buzz kept a stern frown on his face, while the others watched with bewilderment.

“What… just happened?” Gran asked.

Tori simply shrugged.

Captain Astra and his squadron exchanged glances before continuing to leave themselves.

“Well… that takes care of that,” Dolphin said.

Buzz Buzz returned to Tori’s shoulder and sat down on it with a sigh. Xa looked over at him and blinked once.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“I’m… yes. I’m fine,” Buzz Buzz replied.

Xa raised her head somewhat as she looked over at a nearby tent behind the four. “For now, you four should take a breather. I will inform you of your order of business later.”

* * *

The inside of this tent was more decorated than the one Buzz Buzz had woken up in. There were several coffee tables sitting by the edges of the tent and fewer in the middle, each with two menus sitting on top of them. Beanbags in a variety of colours were scattered around the inside of the tent, usually around the edges and near the coffee tables. A bench with a small oven beside it was near the entrance of the vast tent. No more than four Mr. Saturns worked to and from this bench, balancing mugs on their noses.

Tori, Leicra and Gran sat at a coffee table at the end of the tent, while Buzz Buzz sat on the table itself. They all watched the Mr. Saturns work away and serve the others of their kind.

“I’ve always wondered how the Mr. Saturns hold things,” Leicra said.

“I know, right? They don’t have any hands!” Tori added.

“When we get our coffee, we will have to ask,” Gran said.

Buzz Buzz frowned in thought. He tilted his head up to look at the others, and asked, “Speaking of their coffee, what do they put in it?! We all know what happened the last time we had some of that.”

The other three all murmured in agreement and confusion. They all went back to watching the Mr. Saturns intently.

A few minutes passed by, and a Starman, presumably from Captain Astra’s squadron, waddled into the tent, bent over and glancing around wide eyed. Buzz Buzz sat up, warily folding out his wings.

Leicra raised a hand slightly. “It’s okay. #7269-β isn’t here to hurt anyone.”

#7269-β sat down in a beanbag near the four. He looked around, occasionally daring to quickly glance at the quartet. For the most part, though, he looked around at the Mr. Saturns. They didn’t pay much mind to him. They all looked at him curiously for a couple of moments, then resumed whatever they were doing.

A few moments passed by with only the Mr. Saturns chatting amongst themselves.

“...So, #7269-β,” Leicra spoke up, “what brings you here? ...To this tent, I mean.”

#7269-β sighed, then replied, “I just wanted to get away from the squadron, honestly. The captain’s been really out of it recently, and… everything’s just… so serious. I didn’t realise _this_ is what I would be in for, being a soldier.” He looked  over at Leicra and told them, “I can see why you rebelled now, #3827-γ. I would rebel too, but…”

“But what?”

“...Nevermind. Maybe someday I’ll find the courage, like you did.”

Leicra blinked, wide eyed.

A Mr. Saturn trotted up to #7269-β and asked, “Welcome to coffee tent, zoom! Want coffee?”

“No thanks,” #7269-β replied.

“Okies!” The Mr. Saturn trotted back over to the bench and continued working.

Another Mr. Saturn, balancing a tray with three mugs of coffee and one bottle cap of coffee, walked up to the quartet and slowly slide the tray off his nose. The mugs and bottle cap slid precariously close to the edge of the tray, but did not fall off. The tray gently floated down onto the table, followed by the mugs and the cups, in a similar fashion. The four all stared in confoundment.

Tori pointed at the tray and asked the Mr. Saturn at the table, “How did you do that?”

The Mr. Saturn let out an inquisitive hum as it looked at the tray.

“How do you balance things and hold them without hands?” Gran cleared.

“Oh! Easy peasy. We use moons! I forget big words Miss Xa use, but moons have power that boost our power! Boing! Saturn have lots of moons, so we have lots of power! Use for holding, zoom. No fight. But can fight.”

Leicra thought for a moment, then asked, “Then what about the Mr. Saturns on Earth?”

“Mr. Earth Saturns silly Mr. Saturns. Many move to other planet for scenery change, but Earth not popular choice! Earth only one moon, ding. Mr. Earth Saturn power not very strong. Can only hold, I hear.”

“I see. And about the coffee your kind makes… What do you put in it?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“Lots of thing! Many are Mr. Saturn secret. But one thing that not Mr. Saturn secret is stardust! Lots of stardust. Special Mr. Saturn gather it and give to us for food making! Stardust give special taste. And sparkly! Zoom! If you talk about special thing that give talk… that biggest Mr. Saturn secret of all. No can tell. Or bad thing happen to me.”

Everyone around the table was silent.

“Well, enjoy!” the Mr. Saturn chirped before trotting back off to the bench.

The four exchanged glances.

“Let’s just,” Tori grabbed a hold of a mug. “Drink this.”

Tori and Buzz Buzz took a sip of their coffee, while Gran and Leicra just poured it on their heads. It worked it last time.

* * *

_Musical notes, once discordant and unorganised, have been strung together to create a beautiful song. However, it is not quite complete._

_You have traversed far from your homes to get to this point. Through smiles and tears, through bravery and fear, you have overcome what has been thrown at you. You have believed in each other, and that belief is what will carry you to the end._

_Your power has grown as you have charged the Sound Stone. The squadron of Starmen that arrived on Saturn just before you did could stand no chance against you. The fully charged Sound Stone, and the power of yourself and others, has Giygas desperate to cling onto ownership of the earth. Now, he will do anything to keep it in his evil hands._

_Now, more challenges arise. You have more enemies in one place than you ever have before. But, you also have more allies on your side. They will help you fix the timeline. Remember, when you are suffering hardships, your enemy is also struggling. Or in this case, enemies. Everyone gathered here on Saturn is fighting one last battle._

_...By the way, do any of you know what that Porkey may be scheming?_

_When this cup of coffee is finished, your quest will continue. Your fate will pull you in the right direction._

_Buzz…_

_Tori…_

_Gran…_

_Leicra…_

_I wish you luck…_


	25. The Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A truth is revealed.

“Hey! Wake up, heroes! There’s important stuff going on outside that I bet heroes like you would want to know about!”

The four all groaned as they sat up. Poking his head inside the tent they were sleeping in was a giant bird similar to Xa, but with dark green eyes instead. He also seemed to be a bit smaller.

“...Who’re you?” Tori drowsily asked. 

“Tu, Xa’s brother. She told me all about you, don’t worry. Now come on!”

Tu took his head out of the tent and stood up outside. Leicra was the first to get up and go outside, after having grabbed the Meteoran Sword. Buzz Buzz was second. He stretched, then warmed up his wings. He buzzed outside, and hovered in the air while he waited for Gran and Tori. Gran, after putting on her vest and beanie, helped Tori out of her sleeping bag. She waited for the latter while she grabbed a bottle of water Xa had given to the four the night before, splashed it on her face, then drank the rest. The two of them then walked outside, and Buzz Buzz landed on Tori’s shoulder.

“So what is it that’s going on?” Leicra asked Tu, looking up at the giant bird.

“One of the weirdos that came to Saturn recently’s at the outdoor stage we have nearby. The loser said he had something important about the Hero of the Meteorite to announce and needed everyone important to come…” Tu explained. “There’s a few Starmen there already, and the Mr. Saturns came anyway. I’m gonna go on ahead - Xa’s already there, too. You guys can walk there. Just keep going forward, then take the first left you find. Real simple to get there.”

With that, Tu took off, blowing a gust of wind into the quartet’s faces. They watched as he became a golden speck in the distant sky.

“Well, let’s get going,” Tori finally said. “Whatever that _fart face_ wants to say, it might help us along. Maybe.”

Tori started walking down the blue metal platforms, and Leicra and Gran followed. They walked in quiet - there wasn’t really… much to talk about. Once they found the first left fork in their path about 20 minutes later, they took it, then continued. About five minutes later, they heard another set of footsteps.

Everyone whipped around. Leicra held up the Meteoran Sword with both hands, while Tori held up a finger with PK Fire sparks dancing above it. A few feet away was General Genesis, the Final Starman they had met back in the Starman Stronghold. His face lit up when he saw them.

“Oh! Hello again!” he waved.

The four sighed with relief, and relaxed.

General Genesis walked up to them and asked, “Are you four headed to the stage too? I heard there’s something going on there, and I figured Astra and Elex would be there.”

“We are,” Tori replied.

“Do you want to come with us?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“Yes! ...Please.”

Tori motioned for General Genesis to follow as she turned around and continued walking. Genesis did so, moving to the left of Leicra.

He looked Leicra over, then asked, “Did you get into a nasty fight, or something?”

Leicra inquisitively hummed. General Genesis pointed at the star now etched onto their chest.

“Oh! Um… yes,” Leicra lied.

“That opponent of yours really must have done a number on you,” General Genesis commented. “A… really well done number? I don’t know why they would make a star over your emblem, but it’s their choice, I guess.”

The group continued walking in silence for a few minutes before General Genesis let out a small gasp. He looked at the four, a gleam in his eye, and said, “I just realised something! You know that mysterious voice that’s with you? It sounds a lot like Captain Zeta!”

“...Does he?” Tori asked.

“Mhm! I knew him! ...While he was still alive,” Genesis added.

Gran furrowed her brow. “What happened to him?”

“Well funny you should ask! Because I know _exactly_ what happened! I was there!” Genesis said. “It was only a couple of months ago… Captain Zeta broke out of the Stormin base, and conducted a jailbreak. He managed to break everyone in his cell hall out and lead them to the exit. But even though he shut off a good third of the security cameras, us Starmen staffing the base still caught him. Once #1563-ε sent out the message that Zeta had escaped, I decided I would be the one to catch him. The other humans he broke out still managed to slip past me, unfortunately, and I didn’t exactly… want to harm Zeta, but he didn’t want to come back to us. So I used a couple Starstorms on him and he was as good as finished. #1563-ε didn’t want a dead human around, so I threw him outside. I don’t remember exactly where, but it was somewhere near the base.”

“...Huh,” Tori muttered to herself.

“Why did you just openly tell us you’ve commited murder?” Leicra asked.

General Genesis shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I’m going to get _fined_ for it, is it? And besides, a dead rebel is better than a… not dead rebel.”

Leicra exchanged a worried glance with Tori.

“Oh! We must be here!” General Genesis chirped.

And sure enough, they were. There was a stage made of what looked to be some sort of Saturnian rock. The seats, which formed a semicircle around the stage, were simply layers of the same rock that gradually got higher into the bubbled atmosphere. Said layers were separated only by four aisles carved into the rock, and the first row sat only a couple of feet away from the stage. Many Mr. Saturns, a few Starmen; Captain Astra and Elex included, as well as a handful of regular soldiers and another Final Starman sitting on the opposite side they were, Xa and Tu perched on the highest seats, and some strange, light blue aliens no one recognised. Standing on the stage was Porkey, still within the confines of his mech, with a microphone protruding from the back of it and positioned in front of the glass that separated him from the outside world. He glanced over at the four and General Genesis, then smirked.

“Come in, come in!” he greeted with a smile all too wide. “I’ve saved some seats just for the four of you, but your other friend will have to find a spot for himself.”

The quartet gave a glance to General Genesis as he gave a defeated shrug. He edged his way past them and as close to Captain Astra and Elex as he could. The four then made their way down the aisle carved out between the seats, and Porkey soon pointed them to a trio of front rown seats with “reserved” signs sitting on them. They moved the signs off the rock, then sat down. Buzz Buzz remained perched on Tori’s shoulder, though tense and his brow furrowed.

“Now let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Only two of the regular Starman soldiers cheered. Some Mr. Saturns joined in if only to follow the others that were leading. All of the light blue aliens that were gathered cheered, and cheered the loudest. Porkey quietly uttered a thank you once the crowd died down.

“Now as many of you are aware, the fabled “Hero of the Meteorite” the local legends speak of is here on this very planet. It is said by the Apple of Enlightenment itself that he will ride a meteorite from here to Earth and inform a very special boy of his destiny. And aren’t we all excited to see him save the world?”

More cheers erupted from the crowd than the last time, but the cheers only came from the Mr. Saturns and Xa and Tu.

Porkey cleared his throat, then continued, “I know I’m not. Now, how many of you have heard of Captain Zeta, the rebel Starman captain?”

All of the gathered Starmen booed and hissed, and the light blue aliens made… some sort of uncontent noise. Xa and Tu simply exchanged confused looks.

“Alright, settle down, you Starmen here.” Porkey waited quietly as the Starmen fell silent, then continued, “Now you may be wondering, why would I bring those two up one after another? And it’s a valid question. On the surface, those two have nothing to do with one another. But you’ll soon see that not everything’s as it seems.” He glanced down at Buzz Buzz, a sly grin on his face, as he asked him, “Isn’t that right, little bug?”

Buzz Buzz felt an arm instinctively press up against his body.

“I had a very interesting conversation with the Hero of the Meteorite and his friends yesterday. Oh yes, very interesting indeed. I made an attempt to take some visiting Starmen with me and enlist them into the ranks of my own army, and,” Porkey paused to let out a couple of coughs and wheezes, “get this! The Hero defended them! He insisted that I leave them alone. I let those Starmen off the hook, but only to play along with him.”

Xa spoke up, telling Porkey, “And how is that suspicious? Even if one is your enemy, it is still befitting of a hero to be kind to others off the battlefield.”

“Do you remember what he said to me?” Porkey asked.

“Not word for word, but yes.”

Porkey sighed, a small smirk on his face. “I don’t quite remember it word for word either, don’t you fret. But what he concluded with-” Porkey chuckled. “‘By taking them away and forcing them to work for you, you are taking away their free will. And I will not stand by and allow you to do that.’ ...The very same words Captain Zeta spoke to me when I attempted to take the Starmen with me all those years ago. Surely that is no coincidence.”

“What are you saying?!” Tu shouted.

“Saturnians and aliens, the Hero of the Meteorite you so adore or hate, he… is really Captain Zeta himself!”

The crowd erupted into noise. The Mr. Saturns babbled to each other in confusion, the Starman yelled, and the light blue aliens made some weird noise that no one knew the emotion of. Xa and Tu exchanged glances once again.

“Settle down, settle down!!” Porkey boomed, then hacked and coughed.

General Genesis stood up with haste. “But Zeta is dead! _I killed him!_ ”

Once Porkey’s coughing fit had died down, he looked up at General Genesis. “...That’s what you think. Tell me, General, what did you do with Zeta’s body once you had… ahem… “killed” him?”

“I, well… I just chucked it outside the base he was being contained in. I figured he wouldn’t have survived my attacks, and he would rot away soon enough,” General Genesis told him.

“Did you check for a pulse?”

“No.”

Porkey cracked a smirk. “A fatal mistake.” He then looked out across the audience and announced, “He’s still alive, and he’s taken the form of a bug! He’s taken the form of your hero! He is nothing more than a lying backstabber who cares only for himself! So watch yourselves. You might be the next person he betrays.”

The microphone in front of Porkey returned to the inside of his mech, and he walked off the stage and away from it and the now confused crowd. Buzz Buzz had dug his hands into Tori’s uniform as far as he could. He could feel the tension in his body, and it threatened to rip him apart. Tori and Leicra looked over at him, the former with concern and the other with sadness-laden betrayal. Gran had opted to look up at the starry sky, instead.

Leicra pried their eye away from Buzz Buzz, stood up and scanned the now shifting crowd for General Genesis. They soon spotted him, and tapped Tori’s other shoulder as they began to head for the nearest aisle. They stared silently at her for a moment before walking over to the aisle and walking up it to Genesis. Tori tapped Gran’s shoulder, then pointed in Leicra’s general direction before standing up and catching up to them. Gran followed as she did so.

General Genesis was with Captain Astra and Elex, informing them of some important business they had to attend to immediately.

“Um, General?” Leicra asked, tapping General Genesis’ arm gently. Genesis turned around to face Leicra, giving an inquisitive hum.

“Where are you off to?”

“Oh, I’m just about to take these two back to the Stronghold. Lord Giygas needs them to sen- ...do some important time-sensitive stuff,” General Genesis replied.

Elex leaned to the side to glare daggers at Buzz Buzz. “Hey. Hero. What’s your name? I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you again.”

“Buzz Buzz.”

Elex humphed. “Fitting name for an insect.”

General Genesis sighed. “Come on, you two. Let’s get you back to the Stronghold. We don’t have much time.”

With that, General Genesis gave Leicra and short wave goodbye, then walked away with Captain Astra and Elex in tow. The quartet watched them walk away into the distance.

“...We’d better head back to our tent,” Tori finally said.

* * *

 It had been a quiet day for the quartet, Xa and Tu. Nobody was quite sure what to say to one another. There was a hushed word passed from one to another every now and then. Dolphin had come over at one point, and asked what was wrong. Xa told him in private, if only vaguely.

And now, here the four who had traveled so far together, in their sleeping tent again, but far more distant to one another compared to the previous night.

It wasn’t how Tori wanted things to be.

She doubted it was how anyone wanted things to be. But she _knew_ that Buzz Buzz was feeling the worst after the announcement Porkey had made. He now sat far from the others, curled up and trying to keep himself warm on top of a container of sanitary items on the other side of the room.

Tori rolled over in her sleeping bag. “Hey Buzz Buzz? You still awake?”

Buzz Buzz shifted, then replied, “Yes.”

Tori patted the ground in front of her. Buzz Buzz didn’t move.

“Come on, man. Talk it out.”

Buzz Buzz was still for a few more moments, staring at the spot Tori had patted, before hesitantly buzzing over to it. 

“You sure you don’t want to come any closer? It’ll be warmer.”

“No thanks.”

Tori shifted in her sleeping bag. There was an awkward air of silence between the two of them before she said, “So… this morning was… interesting.”

Buzz Buzz shot her a frown. “Don’t sugar coat it.”

Tori sighed. “I wasn’t expecting _that_ to be what Porkey was gonna say. I thought he was just gonna… spout off Pigmask propaganda or something.”

“Well, he didn’t, and now no one trusts me!”

“That’s not true!” Tori told him, her voice almost rising to a volume where Leicra and Gran would be woken up. She quietened herself as she said, “I trust you.”

Buzz Buzz looked up at her, having been shocked for a moment. He blinked back any tears that may have formed, paused, then climbed up onto the sleeping bag and sat next to Tori’s head.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I should have told you - Leicra and Gran too - earlier.”

“What? Na, you don’t have to apologise!”

“But shouldn’t I? I kept the truth from you.” Buzz Buzz laid his head down into his arms.

“Listen, Buzz Buzz, it’s okay. I probably would have done the same thing. But like, worse than you.”

There was a silence between them that seemed to drag out for far too long.

“I kinda figured you might have been Zeta. That was my second guess,” Tori told Buzz Buzz.

Buzz Buzz raised his head. “It was that obvious?”

“Not really, but like, I was kinda just observing the little ways you acted and thinking about things I heard, and I just- I dunno. It was kinda like a puzzle.”

Buzz Buzz rested his head again. “I suppose I should tell you everything.”

“What? No, you don’t have to do that-”

“Please.” He almost sounded desperate. “It’s the least I can do for keeping the truth from you for so long.”

Buzz Buzz took a breath in, then exhaled. “It all started ten years ago. Some of Giygas’ ships had come to Metis Cove, and told us all of the invasion. They said that if we refused to cooperate with them, they would kill us all. And I… I let them take me. I stood up, and said that I would join them as long as they left the village alone.” He paused for a moment. “I know now that didn’t work the way I intended it to. I worked among the ranks of Giygas’ army for many long years. And over those years, I began to think that the Starmen were doing Earth good by conquering it. I was young and gullible. Very, very gullible. 

“I got a robotic arm and some armour to help me along. The robotic arm allowed me to use PK Thunder up to its Gamma level, and it cost less PP than usual, too. Only a year after I had joined, Porkey joined too. He got his first time machine; a piece of advanced alien technology from Giygas himself, and with it, he became Giygas’ second-in-command and the link between the one I knew and the sane version of him just a few years in the past. Was I jealous? ...Yes. I was very jealous. I was a year older than him, and I was only a captain.

“It was after Giygas had successfully conquered the earth that Porkey rebelled. He wanted to take Earth for himself, and he wanted to take all of the Starmen with him to use as the soldiers of his own army. At the time, I thought… I thought the Starmen weren’t as evil as most of them are. I defended the Starmen. I stood up to Porkey, fought him, and won. It was a shallow victory. He ran away.

“It was after that I… started to think a bit more. I knew that life working in Giygas’ army was always awful, but I never stopped to think _why_ that was. And when I did, I realised that the Starmen, Giygas, everything… It wasn’t any better than how Porkey was. I wasn’t helping anyone on Earth by doing what I was doing. I was only part of the problem. I never found the courage to rebel myself for years to come, though. But… the jailbreak I attempted… you know all about that.”

Tori nodded.

Buzz Buzz sighed. “Sometimes I wonder if any of it was worth it.”

“Well… you learned from it. That counts towards something, right?”

“...I suppose it does.”

“And hey. Porkey’s a big fat jerk. You’re one of the most selfless people I know.”

Buzz Buzz smiled for the first time that day.

“Do you feel better now?” Tori asked.

“A little bit, yes.” Buzz Buzz then yawned quietly.

“Goodnight, Buzz Buzz.”

“Goodnight.”


	26. Time's Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While taking some **time** to reflect, they never suspected to **watch** their backs for anyone else who would want to stop them.

The following morning was calm, if not with lingering tension from the day before. Buzz Buzz was the first awake; he passed the time waiting for the others to wake up by stargazing. Tu had greeted him as he sat down outside, just before the former took off to tend to an important duty of his. No others were awake as early as he was - he suspected Dolphin may have been awake at the time as well, but couldn’t say for sure. He wasn’t around.

Gran was the next of the quartet to awaken. She quietly started boiling a jug of water before heading outside to look for Buzz Buzz. She soon found him sitting a short distance away from the tent they all slept in. The two of them held eye contact for a couple of seconds before Buzz Buzz quickly glanced to the side. 

Gran sat down beside him. They shared a short silence before she told him, “I thought about everything yesterday. I’m not sure how much of what Porkey said is true, but I do know that you are a kind and just person. And if you were who he said you were… you made the right choice, rebelling. I’m proud of you.”

Buzz Buzz glanced back at Gran and gave her a small smile.

There was a whistle from inside the tent that alerted both Buzz Buzz and Gran.

“That must be the jug. I’ll be right back.” Gran stood up and hurried back inside the tent. Buzz Buzz started at the low-hanging flap of the tent as it fell back into place for a couple of moments, before getting up and flying back inside himself.

Leicra and Tori had both woken up now - Tori looked groggy and disheveled, and Buzz Buzz could only assume Leicra had woken her up. Gran was pouring the hot water from the jug into a tea cup, a tea bag already inside. There were more set up, but it was unknown if she would make tea for anyone else. She handed the tea cup to Tori, who took it by the handle. She blew on it a couple of times before hesitantly taking a sip. She let out a small yelp as she jerked the tea cup away from her mouth. Gran giggled. Leicra did too, though it was weaker, and sounded forced.

Leicra looked up to see Buzz Buzz perched on the top of the stack on plates on the table with the jug. Their expression drooped. Buzz Buzz glanced down at the floor. Gran and Tori both looked at Leicra. The Blue Starman stood still for a few moments, before turning around and heading over to the two sleeping bags laid out on the ground and sitting beside them.

Silence hung in the air after that. Tori waited a couple of minute for her tea to cool before sipping it again. She grimaced at the heat, but it wasn’t unbearable, and continued to sip at it. It remained this way for several long minutes.

The open flap of the their tent rustled as Dolphin entered in a hurry. Everyone looked over at him as he zippsed the open flap of the tent shut. Despite the sunglasses covering his eyes, it was still very easy to tell that he was distressed. He turned to face the quartet and only said one thing: “Hide.”

Buzz Buzz raised an eyebrow. “What? Why?”

Tori pointed at her cup and told him, “I haven’t finished my tea yet.”

Dolphin looked around the tent, scanning it for any possible hiding place. He then scurried to Leicra’s side and sat close to them, trying to hide as much of himself as possible behind them.

“What’s the matter?” Gran asked. 

“Buzz Buzz, Tori, do you remember the secret I told you back in Stormin?” Dolphin asked.

“Of course,” Buzz Buzz replied.

“It haunts to this day,” Tori added.

“My visions of the future have been coming much more rapidly than usual. The encounter with those Starmen back when you first arrived, what happened yesterday on the stage, and now…”

“Now what?” Leicra asked.

“The authorities I told you about. They’ve found us.”

Everyone was shocked into silence.

Buzz Buzz quickly spoke up again, asking Dolphin, “Wait, do you mean, ‘us’? I thought they were only after you.”

Dolphin inhaled sharply. He was silent for a bit as he wracked his brain for an answer. The answer, though, was not given in another way. 

A brilliant white light surrounded both the inside and the outside of the tent. It forced everyone to shut their eyes. The light grew stronger, and when it disappeared… the tent did, too. Hovering where the front of the tent once was were three light blue aliens, identical to the ones that had gathered at the stage for Porkey’s announcement. The aliens had no facial features, and had some kind of metallic protrusion coming from the upper half of their heads, almost like a helmet. There was a darker metallic portion, shaped like a v, that rested on their foreheads, and a a lighter metallic portion that rose upwards from their heads and had a pointed end. A light yellow growth, different from the metallic protrusions, rested behind the darker metallic portion but above the lighter metallic portion, grew just past the latter. They had squared heads, two noodle-like arms, and three legs - two at the front, one at the back.

“The answer that you seek, mere mortal, is simple,” one of the light blue aliens spoke. Their voice echoed in everyone’s minds. “You and your accomplices have been trying to alter the fate of this timeline. We cannot allow such a thing to happen. The fate of this timeline is set. Any further attempts to alter fate will result in a much harsher punishment than we have in mind.”

“Crap,” Dolphin muttered.

“Who… are you?” Leicra asked.

“We are but three officers of the Zartz Timekeepers,” the light blue alien who had first spoken told them.

“Thank you for leading us right to them, old friend,” another Zartz Officer said to Dolphin.

“We’re not friends,” Dolphin frowned.

“I know. That was a joke.”

It wasn’t a very funny joke.

The first Zartz Officer who spoke readied a strange, unidentifiable PSI attack. “Enough with the idle chit-chat. Time to take down two birds with one stone.”

The second Zartz Officer snickered as it and the third officer both followed the first officer’s lead. The first officer then unleashed a strange purple and white light. It engulfed the area and let out a horrendous sound akin to thunder. It lasted for about ten seconds, then the light faded. Now surrounding Dolphin and the quartet were PSI Shields.

“What…? Where did…?” Dolphin questioned.

“It worked,” Buzz Buzz muttered. He laughed with relief, then said, “Oh thank God, it worked.”

“I didn’t know your shields could do _that,_ Buzz Buzz!” Tori told him.

Dolphin looked at the quartet and told them, “We don’t have time to sit around talking. Come on, let’s go!”

He got to his feet and ran past the three Zartz Officers. The quartet followed suit, with Leicra quickly grabbing the Meteoran Sword and turning to run backwards and unleash a wave of PK Water Gamma at the officers. They didn’t look like they were very bothered by the damage it dealt to them.

Up in the sky, Xa and Tu saw them running away, and swooped down to talk to them.

“We felt a wave of powerful PSI from over here, what’s going on?” Xa asked, wide-eyed.

“The blue aliens I said would come here - they’ve found us.”

Xa’s pupils halved in size. “Oh dear. The Hero needs to be taken to the Hero’s Launchpad immediately. I’ll lead you all there.” She looked over at her brother and told him, “Tu, gather as many Saturnians as you can and take them to the Cave of Enlightenment. Make sure they’re safe.”

Tu nodded, then turned around and darted in the opposite direction. Xa made a slow turn to her right.

“Come on, this way!”

Dolphin and the quartet followed Xa, running - or flying, in Buzz Buzz’s case - as fast as they could. The three Zartz Officers that had attacked them before, joined by at least four more, began to tail them. They started to spread around them, preparing more PSI attacks. Some were the purple and white ones they had previously been attacked with, while others were yellow and blue.

“I don’t think my PSI Shields will be able to block out all of their attacks…” Buzz Buzz warned.

Tori let loose a PK Fire Gamma on the Zartz Officers. They took a little damage, but it would take a lot more to get rid of them. Figuring this, Tori let loose another one. Leicra added in a PK Water Gamma to help her. Xa, noticing their struggle, turned around briefly to unleash a PK Starstorm Omega on the Zartz Officers before turning around and leading everyone to the Hero’s Launchpad again.

The Zartz Officers unleashed all their indescribable PSI attacks at once. Buzz Buzz’s PSI Shields absorbed half of the attacks, but broke down, letting the other ones in to attack them. It was a good thing Tori’s pocket seemed to be blessed, since Buzz Buzz didn’t die when he darted in there, despite the barrage of inexplicable attacks. Once the bright lights from the Officers’ attacks had faded, Gran used Lifeup Gamma on everyone as fast as she could. 

Once Leicra was healed, they gasped. “Giygas!”

Everyone else looked at them.

“Is something the matter?” Gran asked.

Leicra worriedly looked at the rest of the quartet and Dolphin. “The Apple, it-! Giygas is just about to launch another attack on Earth! He’s going to succeed, and it’ll wipe out _everything_ on the planet!”

Everyone went wide eyed.

“...We have to move faster. Thank you, Leicra,” Xa said. With a flap of her wings, she began flying even faster.

It was hard for the others to keep up now. More Zartz Officers slowly began chasing them as they ran past Mr. Saturns running as fast as they could to the Cave of Enlightenment and through other small caves. The Zartz Officers just kept coming, and there was only so much Buzz Buzz’s upgraded PSI Shields and Gran’s Lifeup Gammas could do to counter the damage they outputted every so often. Tori’s constant usage of PK Fire Gamma had only put a couple dents in them, and Leicra was more hesitant to use PK Water Gamma, so that didn’t help much either. Xa was too focused on leading Dolphin and the quartet to the Hero’s Launchpad to chip in.

It was in the smallest cave they had been in yet that two dozen Zartz Officers had caught up to them, circled around the cave and began charging an array of strange PSI attacks. Xa was anxiously waiting outside the cave.

“How are we gonna fend all of these guys off?” Tori questioned.

“I mean, I _could_ try using PSI Shield Sigma after these ones break down, but I’m not sure I have enough PP to cast another…” Buzz Buzz said.

Dolphin sighed. “There’s only one way. I didn’t want to have to do this, but…”

He extended both of his gloved hands and took a deep breath in. A strange, purple… _mass_ formed in his hands, then exploded. The cave was obliterated in an instant. Streaks of purple energy stronger than anyone could imagine whirled around like a tornado, striking the Zartz Officers down and absorbing them into its mass. Once they were all gone, the tornado of energy dissipated. The attack left Dolphin panting and the quartet with headaches and many questions.

“How do you-” Leicra started.

“WHAT WAS THAT?!” Tori yelled. That certainly didn’t help anyone’s headaches.

Dolphin cast a weary glance over to Tori and explained, “That was something I’ve been calling PK Horror. Back in my home time, I was abducted by some aliens - Zanue, I think they called themselves - and found what I believe was the mothership’s generator. Just a single touch gave me incredibly strong PSI. PK Horror… is a last resort, though. As you can see.”

“And you got away with taking some of that power?” Leicra asked.

“Heavens no! The mothership’s commander is still sending her troops to look for me. I’ve been able to outrun them with the time-space machine I stole from her, though.”

“...You STOLE from THE COMMANDER GENERAL?!”

Xa called out, “As much as I want to know the details of whatever that was, we really must be moving.”

“Right, of course,” Dolphin said.

The rest of the journey to the was fairly quiet. No other Zartz Officers attacked them. When everyone had figured that it was going to be smooth sailing from then on out, they sat down to take a quick break and recharge. Then it was back to running towards the Hero’s Launchpad.

“It’s just up ahead, I can see it from up here!” Xa finally announced.

The news put a smile on everyone’s faces, but those smiles quickly disappeared when they heard a **clank.** And then another. And another.

A familiar legged box climbed over a nearby mountain and leapt over to Dolphin and the quartet. The landing rattled the mech for a second. From the safety of his mech, Porkey smirked at them.

“You didn’t think my announcement from yesterday would be the last you saw of me, did you?”


	27. The Pig King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The face off against Porkey Minch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took some liberties with Porkey’s attacks, since I couldn’t remember them all/what they looked like in Mother 3, and couldn’t be bothered going onto YouTube to remember. Hopefully that will make the battle more interesting to watch.

“What are you still doing here, Porkey? Don’t you have anything better to do?” Buzz Buzz questioned.

“Confronting you one last time is in my best interest,” Porkey replied. He cast a glance to Dolphin and Xa and told them, “You two! Bird, sunglasses guy! Get out of the way! This is a match between me and them.”

Xa and Dolphin exchanged worried glances, then moved away to the right. 

Porkey looked back at the quartet. “Now, where were we? Something about… confronting you. Oh yeah! I can’t let you get to the Hero’s Launchpad. I was hoping the Zartz Officers would be able to get rid of you, but it seems you had some help. I could feel that immense PSI from a mile away. So, thanks for leading me right to you!”

Porkey loudly inhaled, then entered a coughing fit. Once it had subsided, two arm-like appendages grew out of the back of his mech. The arms then stretched out and tried to grab at Tori and Gran, who leapt out of the way. Porkey’s mech took a couple of small steps forward as it tried to grab them.

Leicra fired a PK Beam Gamma at Porkey. The beam shot a hole through the glass covering him and hit him right in the face. Gran used PK Freeze Gamma on the mech, freezing one of the right frontmost leg to the ground. Porkey growled as he noticed this, and spent a bit of time freeing the leg. Leicra took this opportunity to fire more PK Beam Gammas at him. Tori frowned, however, and bounced from one foot to the other, scanning the mech.

Porkey broke the leg out of its PK Freeze casing. Shards of ice sprayed everywhere before shattering as they hit the ground. He then raised his right hand, and a bright white light flooded the area. What felt like a barrage of punches from the sky hit through quartet’s PSI Shields. The light faded after the attack was over.

Buzz Buzz peeped out of Tori’s pocket and questioned Porkey, “What… was that?”

Porkey laughed, then coughed. “Wouldn’t you like to know? It’s just a little something I was taught. I bet you’d like to know how I was taught it, too.”

Leicra fired another PK Beam Gamma at Porkey, which was followed up by Gran using PK Freeze Gamma on one of the legs on Porkey’s mech. Buzz Buzz cast Shield Sigma over everyone as Porkey tilted his mech around to free the frozen leg. During this time, Leicra cast Defense Down Alpha on Porkey, and Tori ran up to the mech and kicked another leg. Not the smartest idea, since that did nothing but annoy Porkey.

Once Porkey freed his mech’s frozen leg, he began, “It all started about ten years ago. After my failed attempt to take Giygas’ Starmen and make my own army with them, I fled through time and space to make sure I didn’t die.”

His mech’s right arm retracted for a short second, before coming back out holding a spray can of some kind. A strange, pink substance sprayed from the can, causing Buzz Buzz to duck back into Tori’s pocket and the other three members of the quartet to feel a series of shocks on them. 

Leicra fired another PK Beam Gamma at Porkey, while Gran froze another leg of Porkey’s mech. Tori took the window of time it took for Porkey to free the frozen leg to use PSI Magnet Alpha on him. Nothing was gained. Buzz Buzz took the moment to dart in through one of the now many holes punctured in the glass cover of Porkey’s mech by Leicra’s beams and rammed into Porkey’s cheek with his horn. Porkey let out a yelp of pain, then hissed at him, “That hurt, idiot!”

“It did? ...I mean, yeah, of course it did! Don’t think I haven’t learned new tricks, too!” Buzz Buzz replied. He then darted out of Porkey’s mech and back into the safety of Tori’s pocket.

Porkey freed the frozen leg of his mech, then muttered to himself, “Where was I, again? ...Oh yeah.” He spoke up as he continued his story for the four, “Initially, I only traveled time and space to figure out my next plan. As I did, I came across other versions of myself. It’s a miracle that I didn’t cause some sort of time crash.”

Both of the arms of his mech retracted, then came back out a second later with some very strange looking bombs. One of them looked like a crude replication of a pig. The mechanical arms threw the myriad of bombs at the four. Tori, Gran and Leicra braced for the bombs’ impact. They instead hit the Shields, and the explosion simply seeped through. Another PK Beam Gamma was fired from Leicra, and another PK Freeze Gamma was cast on one of the legs of Porkey’s mech. Buzz Buzz rammed into Porkey’s cheek again to spite him, and Tori tried kicking loose another one of Porkey’s mech’s legs. Key word tried.

Porkey loudly cleared his throat before he continued, “The alternate versions of me taught and told me all sorts of things. The very first me I met told me something very important… something very relevant to us both. He told me that there are three ways to ensure your survival when time traveling: put your soul inside a robotic body, put your soul inside something that’s already dead, or remove your soul. Guess which one I did when I joined Giygas’ side!”

Porkey raised his left hand, and the area went pitch black. What felt like many cuts at the ankles of Tori, Gran and Leicra sliced them, but when light returned to the area, there was no blood, and not a single scratch too be found. Leicra fired another Pk Beam Gamma, while Gran used Lifeup Gamma on the entire team. Buzz Buzz tried ramming into Porkey’s mech this time around. He found that the power imbued in him from Magicant made him so strong, he had made a sizable dent in the mech. Tori punched this dent, only to receive a stinging hand.

“Other mes taught me other things, like the attacks I’ve been using. Other mes told me all sorts of interesting information, like how to easily recruit soldiers for your army. And so I decided that if I couldn’t get the Starmen to follow me, I would get some other people from all over time to instead!”

Four of the legs of Porkey’s mech extended and took Porkey high into the Saturnian sky. The other four legs shot down at the ground, targeting a member of the quartet if possible. Tori dodged the leg that targeted her, then kicked it with all her might. The mech began to wobble as the leg slipped and returned to normal length. The leg that targeted Gran pinned the Wooly Shambler down. Leicra looked from the leg to the Meteoran Sword. They gripped the hilt of the sword with both hands, then ran up to the leg of Porkey’s mech and swung the Meteoran Sword almost like a baseball bat. The sword sliced through the metal leg, leaving the lower part to fall to the ground with a **clank,** while the other upper part fizzled. Porkey’s mech lurched back, then fell the ground with a deafening **crash** and the shattering of glass. From the sidelines, Dolphin and Xa’s face lit up with excitement and pride. The quartet ran up to Porkey’s fallen mech and began whaling on it. Leicra continued to slash with the Meteoran Sword somewhat incorrectly, Tori kicked it, Buzz Buzz rammed into it with his horn, and Gran simply stood back and let the other three handle the fighting.

The muffled sound of Porkey’s coughs and wheezes came from under the mech. Gran jogged around to the front of the fallen mech and lifted it up just enough so Porkey could crawl out. Tori gave her a frown of confusion. 

Porkey coughed some more as he leaned over the edge of his cockpit. He gasped for air, and once he had filled his lungs, he exhaled. All eyes were on him. “The building of my army didn’t go unnoticed, though. There’s these aliens from… somewhere, who call themselves the Zartz Timekeepers. You’ve already met the officers, you know what they’re like. But _I_ had the unpleasure of meeting their leader, Lume Miza. He stopped me personally for drafting people from all across time into my army. He said I was ‘breaching many laws’ and ‘had to be stopped for the sake of time’s stability’. But I wasn’t going to let some dumb time laws stop me. Oh no. In fact, I decided to trick Lume Miza into working _with_ me. I told him that I was trying to free the Earth from Giygas by getting lots of people from across time. Not exactly untrue; but my army would take Earth for me instead! And Lume Miza thought I was being nice. So he let me work with him and the Zartz Timekeepers. They all stopped anyone who would do good things for the timelines, and I would keep an eye out for this Charles guy they wanted to apprehend so badly.”

Porkey coughed, then continued, “Aren’t I a genius? I’m a genius! Lume Miza says he so smart, but really, he’s an idiot! Another almighty idiot for me to use then discard when the time is right! Isn’t the thought enough to make you laugh?” Porkey then burst into laughter, which soon turned into another coughing fit.

Once Porkey’s coughing had died down, a new voice echoed into everyone’s minds. “If you as smart as you say you are, Porkey Minch, then you would have known I was listening.”

“Oh crap,” Porkey muttered.

From a few feet behind Porkey, a long white alien with a light yellow horn that rested on its forehead descended from the sky. The alien’s horn curved inwards, and the only features on its otherwise bare face were two curved lines that appeared to be closed eyes. The alien had two black appendages jutting from its theoretical shoulderblades that resembled hands of a clock. Like the Zartz Officers, it had two noodly arms and three legs - two at the front, one at the back.

“I believed that you were one of the rare few of yourself that was genuinely good, but now I see that I was wrong.”

Porkey turned to face the alien newcomer and stammered, “Lu… Lume Miza, I can explain--”

“You have done a excellent job already.”

Lume Miza raised his right hand and made a sound akin to a whale’s cry. Seven Zartz Officers teleported to his side. Lume Miza pointed at Porkey and ordered, “Hold him tight. Make sure he can’t get away in any way.”

“Wait, no, Lume Miza, I was--” Porkey was cut off by five of the Zartz Officers forming a barrier of purple-pink energy akin to lightning in appearance. The other two Zartz Officers hovered behind him.

“Despite your intentions, Porkey Minch, you have done an excellent job at leading me and my officers to exactly the people who we want to apprehend. All five of them, located in the same place, at the same time… Dare I say it, but the timing couldn’t be better,” Lume Miza said.

He then looked at the Hero’s Launchpad, just behind him. He paused for a moment, before musing to himself, “Interesting. The machine that he used to escape captivity is here as well. Perhaps a window will open up for it to be returned.”

He then turned back to the quartet, still standing around Porkey’s fallen mech. “The four of you. I know you want to access this launchpad. Everything you have been striving towards has led up to this. But I cannot allow you to do that.”

There was silence for those few, long moments. Only silence as thought and fear occurred.

“...I’m still going to try,” Buzz Buzz replied.

Buzz Buzz buzzed forward, towards Lume Miza and the Hero’s Launchpad. Tori, Gran and Leicra exchanged glances with each other, then to Buzz Buzz. They then joined his side as he came to a halt in front of Lume Miza’s towering figure.

“ _We’re_ still going to try.”

Lume Miza was silent for a moment, before raising his right hand, energy crackling at its tip. “If you are so sure. But do not expect to get far.”


	28. Melody of the Variable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All things, as they do, must come to an end. This adventure is no exception to this.

The energy dancing around Lume Miza’s right hand exploded with flair. It struck each of the four, but dealt no damage. There was, however, a side effect.

“Um, Buzz Buzz, Tori, Gran,” Leicra said, worry in their voice, “I can’t use my PSI anymore.”

“What?!” Tori exclaimed.

Gran held out a hand and tried to fire a PK Freeze at Lume Miza. “Me neither. He must have put some sort of block on our PSI.”

“Correct,” Lume Miza told her. “I have temporarily prevented use of your PSI. It will make it easier for me to apprehend you.”

Buzz Buzz looked over at Dolphin in the distance and called out to him, “Dolphin?”

Dolphin held out his hand and stared at it for a couple of seconds, then looked back at Buzz Buzz and replied, “Nope, sorry.”

“I have also prevented usage of his PSI as well,” Lume Miza explained. “He is also coming with me, after all.”

Leicra looked at the Meteoran Sword in their hands, then ran up to Lume Miza, jumped up as high as they could and slashed at him. Lume Miza dodged out of the way before the sword was even close to making contact.

“Your efforts are futile against me.”

Buzz Buzz darted towards Lume Miza in an attempt to ram into him, but Lume Miza dodged out of the way again. Buzz Buzz tried three more times, Lume Miza dodging each of them. Tori took a running start and attempted to grab one of his legs, but fell flat on her face. Lume Miza’s horn glowed lavender, and the same glow surrounded the quartet. They were lifted up into the air to be face to face with their otherworldly adversary. Crackles of white energy wrapped around them, pinning their arms, and wings in Buzz Buzz’s case, to their body and their legs together.

“Put us down, you creepy weirdo!” Tori yelled. “Just let us get to the Hero’s Launchpad!”

“Why do you insist on changing fate, anyhow? You are so small in the grand scheme of everything. There are so many timelines where the one you call Giygas fails his mission in plunging the galaxy in darkness. There have to be some where he succeeds to balance this out. You are just unfortunate enough to be in one of these timelines,” Lume Miza told the quartet.

“The Apple of Enlightenment told us we could save this timeline!” Leicra cried.

 Lume Miza’s voice lowered to a growl. “The Apple of Enlightenment is faulty.”

The quartet struggled to break free from the PSI that bound them. Their efforts were fruitless.

“I told you all not to expect to get far. Why are you still trying? Can you not see that you have lost?” Lume Miza asked.

“We’ve come too far to give up now,” Gran told him.

Lume Miza was silent for a few moments. The quartet stared at him as he looked down at the ground. 

“We’re only trying to set things right,” Buzz Buzz told him.

Lume Miza looked over at Buzz Buzz. “I should have figured that you would still try to go back. I somehow managed to forget that you’re so consistently determined to change fate.”

Gran raised an eyebrow as she asked, “What… do you mean by that?”

“Your friend Buzz Buzz is one of the most infamous Variables within the timelines us Zartz Timekeepers watch over. He’s an anomaly. Most timeline inhabitants that are labelled as Variables only show up in a handful of timelines, with very similar personalities and appearances throughout. Variables usually have little or no impact on the whims of fate. Buzz Buzz is much different. He appears in many timelines, but his personality and appearance changes between so many of them. Sometimes, he is not called Buzz Buzz at all,” Lume Miza explained. “He’s almost a Constant. He’s a vital part of fate. But we have already decided what this timeline’s fate will be.”

“Can’t we change your mind?” Tori asked.

Lume Miza hummed in thought, then replied, “It would be interesting to see you make an argument. You may try. Besides, I haven’t talked to any mortals this much in such a long time.”

“Well, for starters, the world is awesome, and it’d be really bad if it all got super destroyed by Giygas, because then there wouldn’t be any animals to pet or friends to make,” Tori began.

“There’s so much to see and do in the world! You can’t take that away from the people who need it the most!” Leicra added.

“If you let everything be covered in darkness, then there wouldn’t be any light to see all the beauty in the world,” Gran said.

Lume Miza hummed. “All very good points. But Buzz Buzz will need to make a truly excellent argument for my mind to be changed.”

Buzz Buzz was frozen for a second. He took a shaky breath in, then exhaled. “I couldn’t agree more with Tori, Leicra and Gran. There is so much that the world has to offer, and to let it all be destroyed by Giygas would be a waste. Everyone deserves a life full of light. If you’d allow me to go back in time, I would be able to ensure that light. My… My friends, my family… everyone… I want to save them all from the darkness, even if it comes at the cost of my own life.”

Tori, Leicra and Gran beamed at Buzz Buzz as Lume Miza mulled over his words.

“There’s always a way out of the darkness. Even if things are bleak, there always is. Please, let me prove that to you.”

Lume Miza was silent for two seconds. He then looked over at Buzz Buzz and said, “Very well.”

The quartet were lowered to the ground, right in front of the Hero’s Launchpad. The lavender glow surrounding them and filling Lume Miza’s horn disappeared, and everyone felt the energy of their PSI flow through their bodies again. Lume Miza lowered himself closer to the ground, hovering just above the blue Saturnian metal that everyone else present stood on. Xa flew over to the four, cheering.

“I suppose that one less timeline where Giygas succeeds in taking over the galaxy would not hurt time’s stability,” Lume Miza said. He then turned to face the binded Porkey and growled, “As for _you…_ ”

Porkey let out a nervous chuckle.

“We have had quite enough of you and yourselves misdoings. We will be making sure you all do not cause anymore troubles for the timelines. We will be confining every last one of you to a single time, and you will _not_ be getting out of it,” Lume Miza told him.

“You… You can’t get us all,” Porkey replied.

“We can. We will. It will take time, though.”

Xa’s smile was the largest the quartet had ever seen it. “You did it! For a moment, I was scared that Lume Miza wouldn’t let you change fate, but you pulled through! You changed his mind! I couldn’t be more proud of you four.”

The best response the quartet could make was some light giggling and bashfully averting their gazes from the golden bird.

Lume Miza looked past the quartet and Xa, and the time-space machine parked nearby the Hero’s Launchpad. Dolphin was peeping out, watching the scene from a distance with a fond smile.

“And what do you think _you’re_ doing?” Lume Miza asked him.

The smile instantly vanished from Dolphin’s face. “I was just, uh… just… about to leave!”

Lume Miza dipped his head slightly. “Very well.”

“Wait - you’re not going to arrest me?” Dolphin asked. “I’m… right here…”

“You were not doing any harm, I have realised. We will not be trying to arrest you any longer, as long as you continue to do what you have done in the past,” Lume Miza told him.

“Only took you forty odd years, darling,” Dolphin teased with a smirk.

“Forty- _three,_ to be precise,” Lume Miza corrected him.

By now, Xa and the quartet’s attention had been drawn to Dolphin and his banter with Lume Miza. 

“You’re leaving so soon?” Xa asked him.

“I figured I would take my leave while no one was looking,” Dolphin replied with a shrug. “I’m a wanted man, after all.”

“You _were,_ ” Lume Miza corrected him again.

Tori outstretched her arms with a lopsided smile. “Can we get a goodbye hug first?”

Dolphin laughed. “Why not.”

He trotted out of his time-space machine and over to Tori. Tori immediately gave him a tight hug, which lasted for quite a few seconds. Gran was the next to give him a goodbye hug. Hers was much gentler than Tori’s, and didn’t last quite as long, but the love emanating from it was intense. Buzz Buzz simply buzzed onto his shoulder and gave him a smile, while Leicra awkwardly positioned themself for a hug, then simply wrapped their arms around him as lightly as they could for a couple of seconds. Buzz Buzz flew off Dolphin’s should and onto Tori’s once Leicra let go.

“Very touching. Though it may pain you to say goodbye so soon, it is most wise for your friend to leave now,” Lume Miza said.

“Huh? Why’s that?” Tori asked.

Lume Miza looked at Buzz Buzz once again. “Buzz Buzz… once you go back and deliver the message to the chosen one, this timeline will be overwritten from that point. As soon as you arrive, nothing that brought you here will have ever happened. Only you and anyone else able to leave this timeline will remember, and if you successfully deliver the Sound Stone to him, nothing like this will ever happen again.”

Tori pulled the Sound Stone of her pocket. Both she and Buzz Buzz looked at it and its soft blue glow gently pulsating.

“Um, if that’s the case, then, actually, I have a request for you Dolphin, if you don’t mind.” Leicra untied the green bandana that had been sitting around their end of their shell’s head for so long and held it out towards Dolphin. “Can you take my bandana and give it to the next me when you see them?”

Dolphin took the bandana from Leicra’s hands. “Of course. And you don’t have to call me that anymore, darling.”

“Then, what _should_ we call you?” Leicra asked.

Dolphin smiled. “Charles.”

With that, Charles took his leave. He walked back over to his time-space machine, hopped inside, then waved goodbye before shutting the door. The machine then blipped away, to some other time in the past.

“Well, I suppose that’s it for goodbyes,” Xa said.

“It was lovely to meet you all and go on this journey with you,” Gran told the rest of the quartet.

“Likewise,” Buzz Buzz replied.

Lume Miza turned to the seven Zartz Officers holding Porkey still. “Officers, you may release him. Instead, make sure his mech can no longer be used.”

The Zartz Officers instantly released Porkey, the purple-pink energy surrounding him disappearing in a flash. Porkey scrambled for the remains of his mech, but they were swallowed in a flash of white light before he even got close.

As the Zartz Officers hovered over to Lume Miza’s side, the latter said, “Before we go, I have a request. I would like to hear a song.”

“You’ve never heard one before?” Gran asked, concern visible on her face.

“No. Not in all the millenia I have existed,” Lume Miza replied with a shake of his head.

Buzz Buzz thought for a moment, then told Lume Miza, “I have one very close to my heart that I would be willing to share with you.”

“Oh! Excellent. Please, come closer so I can hear it better.”

Buzz Buzz buzzed off Tori’s shoulder and landed on a hand Lume Miza had held up.

Buzz Buzz explained, “My mother used to sing this to me when I was a child. It’s not very long, but…”

Though Lume Miza said nothing, Buzz Buzz could feel his curiosity. Buzz Buzz took a breath in, then softly sang.

“ _Though our world is small,_  
_There’s a lot you haven’t seen_  
_If you look up to the stars,_  
_They’ll teach you what you seek_  
_If you wish to fly,_  
_Spread your wings, be free_  
_There’s a lot for you to learn  
__Before your time comes to its brink._ ”

A soft glow, almost unnoticeable, came from Lume Miza’s horn. “Thank you, Buzz Buzz. It was wonderful.

Buzz Buzz smiled, then returned to Tori’s shoulder.

“We shouldn’t keep you any longer. I wish you the best of luck, Buzz Buzz.” With that, a dazzling light filled the area, blinding everyone. When it faded, Lume Miza and the Zartz Officers were gone.

Xa sighed. “Lume Miza’s right. We shouldn’t keep you waiting any longer, Buzz Buzz. The Hero’s Launchpad is right behind us.”

Buzz Buzz led the way onto the Hero’s Launchpad. Unlike the rest of the metal surfaces on Saturn, the launchpad was made of a grey metal, with stairs on each of its four sides leading up to it. In the middle of the launchpad was a meteorite sitting inside a raised portion in the center. Behind it was a slot for a lever of some kind.

“The meteorite is what you’ll be traveling in to get to the past, Buzz Buzz. There’s an button which will open up the opening at the top,” Xa told him.

True to her word, there was a small button at the top of the meteorite. Buzz Buzz pressed it, and a hole no more than thirty centimeters in diameter opened up. 

“Only now does it make so much sense that it’s so small,” Xa muttered to herself. She then turned her attention to the slot behind the meteorite. “The Meteoran Sword is used to activate the time portal and send the meteorite through it. Leicra, if you would.”

Leicra padded up to the slot, and looked between the Meteoran Sword and the slot. After a bit of thinking, they put the sword’s blade into the slot. A **ka-chink-chunk** sounded from under the launchpad.

Xa was silent for a moment as she gazed at the Meteoran Sword in the slot. Not looking away, she asked, “That’s everything, right?”

Tori opened up her hand and stared at the Sound Stone for a moment, then handed it to Buzz Buzz.

“That’s everything,” Buzz Buzz confirmed.

Xa softly sighed. “Right. It feels so surreal that this is actually happening…”

“Believe me, I feel the same way,” Buzz Buzz reassured her. “Never in my life did I think I’d have to save the world, but…”

“I’m sure you’ll do great in this final stretch,” Gran told him.

Buzz Buzz smiled for a second. The smile faded as he said, “Not only do I want to deliver the Sound Stone to the chosen one… I want to guide him to the Sanctuaries, too. No doubt will he be feeling a little lost and confused, with the weight of the world on his shoulders. And there’s a lot I haven’t seen of the world, especially not before Giygas covered it in darkness, so I want to see that, too.”

“I wish you luck,” Leicra told him.

Buzz Buzz buzzed inside the meteorite and set the Sound Stone down. Tori took a step forward and peered inside.

“...I’m going to miss you,” she said.

“I’m going to miss you too. All of you,” Buzz Buzz replied.

“...Are we all ready?” Xa asked.

Tori took a step back as Buzz Buzz replied, “Yes.”

Xa pulled the Meteoran Sword-turned-lever down the slot. A rumbling filled the air around them. The opening of the meteorite closed itself while up in the starry sky, a golden rift opened up. The meteorite slowly sank a bit deeper into the launchpad, then was flung into the sky. Buzz Buzz grabbed the Sound Stone as the meteorite went hurling up and up. It flew right into the fully-opened portal, then sealed itself shut.

As Buzz Buzz’s meteorite hurled through the inky black depths of space, he couldn’t help but wonder to himself, _‘It’s been a long road getting here… What will happen to me, I wonder? What will happen to my friends? What will happen to all the people we met along the way? There’s so much for me to learn again…’_

And so, history rewrote itself. Things in the past, and the future, were never the same again. As for how those things panned out… you already know that, don’t you?


End file.
